Wounded Children
by ScarboroughFair
Summary: When acting as Deputy Mayor, Frodo finds an little girl with an abusive father, and whose apparently missing mother was Frodo's former flame. He takes her into his custody and adopts her. What happens when the mother suddenly turns up?
1. A Little Friend of Sorts

**Wounded Children**

Hey, fanfic readers. This is the first fanfiction I've actually ever written and published. I wrote this to give Frodo a chance to act like a father, you know, the kind that actually sees his kids through babyhood and childhood. It's not great, but see what you think!

Scarborough Fair

Chapter One: A Little Friend of Sorts

Frodo sat in Will Whitfoot's office, shuffling through a stack of papers Merry had given him. They were accounts of all the shirrifs in Hobbiton. Frodo looked at one after another with disinterest. How many more of these are going to come through? He thought.

He put the whole lot aside on the desk and closed his eyes a bit, rubbing his temples. He had a faint headache. So much stress, from the Quest, from his work…

"Frodo?" Merry came in. He had another stack of papers with him.

"Oh no, not another lot of shirrif records, Merry."

"There's just one here, Frodo. And it's important."

Merry stood beside Frodo, who took the papers. "We've not been having any cooperation from Olo Bracegirdle, that shirrif from near Bywater," said Merry. "We've tried to get him back to his posts, where he should be, but he's never on duty."

"Olo Bracegirdle is bad news, Merry, what do you expect?" replied Frodo. Olo Bracegirdle had always been a disreputable shirrif.

"Well, maybe he has a reason. We've heard his wife is missing."

Frodo turned in surprise. "Eos Took? Adelard's daughter?"

"Yes. Pippin told me she's been gone a month now."

Frodo wrinkled his brow. "How come no one was told until so recently?"

"Until recently Hobbiton was in chaos. Nothing could get across to the shirrifs then."

"As Deputy Mayor, I think if I talk to him maybe I can get things straight," said Frodo.

"Well, you can try, but it'll be hard talking reason into him."

Olo Bracegirdle was a burly and rough looking hobbit. He always looked as if he was going to snap someone in half. Frodo knew this wasn't going to be easy as he walked through the door.

The whole smial was ill-kept. Cloaks and bits of leather were strewn all over the floor that was coated in what must have been a month's worth of dust. There was the stench of beer and vomit in the air, as if drunks came here every night. Olo showed the two other hobbits into the sitting room.

"So Mister Bracegirdle, I've had reports saying you haven't been on duty," began Frodo.

Olo narrowed his eyes. "This is what you came to talk to me about, Mister Deputy Mayor? My job?"

"Why, yes. Your post in Bywater is crucial at present, and we can not do with no shirrif on duty here."

"Take heart, Mister Baggins, me wife has been missing a month, I'm trying to look for her, and you want me to go back to my post?"

Frodo felt Pippin tense beside him. Eos Took had been Pippin's favorite cousin. "A missing spouse is hardly a reason to abandon your post, Mister Bracegirdle. Can't we take care of that for you? Especially now that the ruffians are gone."

"Ay, Mister Baggins, thank you kindly," replied Olo, though he didn't look too pleased.

"I will have Mr. Took make arrangements with you. You do the talking, Pip, I'll be outside."

Frodo left Pippin with Olo in the sitting room, and went to wait outside. He sat in a chair in the foyer. He felt someone's eyes on him. He looked up and saw a little girl, with huge brown eyes staring at him from behind a cloak hanging from a peg.

"Hello," said Frodo, trying to be friendly, "are you Eos and Olo's daughter?" The girl nodded, but did not move from her hiding place.

"Come here." Frodo beckoned kindly to her. The girl took two steps toward him.

"Come," he repeated. "Don't be afraid. I don't bite." _Is she so afraid of strangers?_ Frodo didn't remember being this tentative when someone he did not know approached him when he was little.

The girl stepped until she was in front of him. Frodo took her hand, gently, lest she became afraid again. "I'm Frodo," he said. "What is your name?" he asked softly.

"Crystal," was the barely whispered reply. Frodo studied her. Crystal was small, no more thannine years old. Her dress was made of some brown, rough material and was much too small and tight. The doll she clutched to her was nothing more than an old sock, stuffed to form its head. It had no face.

"Your doll, does it have a name?"

"She's called Opal," Crystal replied, still quietly. "Do you want to see her?"

Frodo nodded and took the plaything. While pretending to look at the doll, he observed the girl. She seemed smaller than she really was. Her eyes darted to and from the door behind which her father and Pippin were talking. Was it fear of Olo that made her movements so fluttery? It must have been. It couldn't be Eos. From what Frodo remembered of her, she was a gentle creature who rarely had a sharp word for anyone. Frodo doubted she had changed so drastically.

"Why are you so quiet?" he asked Crystal. "Not many little girls are as still and silent as you."

"Mommy told me I should be quiet," she said. "She said if I'm quiet Daddy won't hit me as much." As she moved to take her doll back, Frodo's gaze moved to her hand. There was a great bruise near her wrist, and also a slash across her knuckles, probably from a whip. He looked at the tiny hand he held. There were a series of cuts across it.

So Olo beat his daughter, cruelly, it seemed. Of course, all hobbit fathers beat their children at times, but who would give a nine year-old bruises and whip lashes, so many of them too? Did this have to do with Eos's disappearance? Perhaps her husband had beat her as well?

Crystal rubbed her doll's blank face, her eyes gazing at it intensely, as if thinking if she tried hard enough, it would acquire eyes, a nose, and a mouth. "Do you have any other dolls?" asked Frodo. Crystal shook her head.

"Daddy took all my dolls away," she replied.

"Except Opal," said Frodo. Crystal nodded. At the use of her plaything's name, her eyes seemed to look upon him with more trust. She knew for sure that this gentle, blue-eyed hobbit would not hurt her. He was not like those drunken friends of her father's that often came home with him in the evening, who taunted her and sometimes tugged a little on her pinafore. For the first time in a month, she felt safe.

"I'm sorry about your mother, child," he said, laying a hand on the girl's head.

"Maybe she's happier away," Crystal replied. Frodo's eyebrows knitted slightly.

"And why's that?"

"Daddy always hit her and she cried." Crystal bounced Opal on the floor, trying to "walk" her.

"Crystal," said Frodo, "If I come back, I'll bring you another doll. I promise."

The little girl flew up. Her eyes brightened. "Another doll?"

"Yes. But don't tell your father, hmm?" Crystal nodded excitedly. Just then, they both heard the scraping of chairs from the next room. Crystal fled down the hallway just as the door flew open.

Like my first chapter? It may take a while to get the next chapter up, but when I start getting to the juicy parts I might speed up. Anyway, R & R!


	2. Reminiscing

To Southern Gaelic: For goodness' sake, check the book! If you do, you'll find that hobbits do in fact call their sheriffs "shirriffs", thank you very much. And Frodo was in fact Deputy Mayor for a while after the war with Sharkey, when Whil Whitfoot, the real mayor, was indisposed. I can change Crystal's age if you like, but it's just to say that I got her name off of the Barrow-downs name generator, and I rather liked it. Anyway, Crystal and Opal were the only gem names I could think of that weren't taken already. Also, can you explain what you mean by events moving too fast? Anyhow, thanks for your input.

Chapter 2: Reminiscing

Frodo was silent on the way home. If Pippin noticed, he did not show it, only went over Olo's money issues with him. It was a few days away from December, and the red-gold leaves that had scattered the ground were turning a dull brown. Bright green lawns steadily turned yellow, and the trees, while still stretching their arms toward the grey, late November sky, were stripped bare of their adornments.

The two hobbits soon went their separate ways, Pippin to the Great Smials and Frodo to his current residence with the Cottons. Upon entering the cozy farm house, he went to the kitchen, where a fire was burning in the hearth. He hung his cloak on a chair and searched the counters for a kettle. Sam came in.

"Hullo, Mr. Frodo! How was your meeting with Olo Bracegirdle?"

"Fairly well. After a little chat, Pip had a private discussion with him. Apparently, he's agreed to go back to work, and Pip made arrangements with him to look for his wife. I still don't trust him, though. Definitely not after I talked to his little girl." Frodo filled the kettle in the sink and put on the stove. He then rummaged through a cupboard for a mug.

"You talked with the child? Crystal?"

Frodo put a brown mug on the little wooden table. "Yes. I saw her peeking at me from behind a cloak, and convinced her to come closer so I could take a look at her. Queer, pretty little thing. Quite clever, too. She knew that she could trust me. From the state of the place, I think Olo has some friends that come home with him often from the nearby inn. Whew! The stench there, and the mess!"

"How old was the girl?"

"I'd say about eight or nine years old."

Sam shook his head. "So young and what a childhood she has."

There was a pause, in which both hobbits were lost in their thoughts. At length, Frodo spoke.

"I promised her that I'd bring another doll to her next time I came."

Sam turned in surprise. "Why?"

"The only thing she had was a stuffed sock with no face. Is there anything wrong about that?" Frodo noticed Sam laughing to himself. "What?"

"No." Sam chuckled. "But in the time I've known you, it never occurred to me that you would bring dolls to little girls! Most of the time, you fetched the lads' balls when they lost them!"

His smile faded a little when he saw Frodo's grave face. "If you could see her, Sam," said Frodo sorrowfully. "If you were there to see how pitiful she was, you would understand. Now that Eos is gone, the poor thing has no mother to give her what she wants."

Sam's eyes softened. He put an arm on his master's shoulder. "I understand. You're acting like you always have, doing good service for others."

Frodo climbed into bed that night with a book on elvish philosophy as light reading. "Don't all that reading hurt your eyes, Mr. Baggins?" Farmer Cotton had teased him. Frodo smiled. He was with good people, he thought. He was lucky to be staying with some of them.

Now that he was with a book, however, he couldn't concentrate on the Tengwar characters. No matter how he forced his eyes to stay on the pages, they always jerked back up to the wall opposite. Finally, he gave up, shut the book, and lay it on the bed. He leaned against the pillows.

He had been thinking of the little girl, Crystal, and her mother. They looked so much alike, Eos and her daughter. They had the same deep brown eyes that seemed to know your soul when they lay on you. Crystal's gestures were identical to Eos's, the way they both held their fingers to the corners of their mouths when in thought. Frodo had seen that gesture when he saw Crystal peeking at him, as if she were wondering, _Who is this new man Father has brought in?_

From what he could see, the child was not one bit like her drunkard of a father.

Frodo closed his eyes and thought of Eos. Eos had been the youngest daughter of Adelard Took, and also the most dynamic of the Took girls. She was gentle and fiery, moody and cheerful, ladylike with the touch of a tomboy. She had started out by following Pippin and his cousins around and nagging to join their sports. That was how Frodo had met her.

He could still remember that day, when he was twenty and she was twelve.

"_Reginard!" Little Eos's high pitched voice pierced the hot summer air. "Are you going to the swim hole now?"_

"_That's none of your business, little squirt," replied her big brother. "Run along into the house and do something with Celandine and Berylla for a change."_

"_Celandine and Berylla are at the Burrows' for the day. Anyway, Ma told me that you were supposed watch me today. That means I'm going where you are."_

_Reginard and his friends, Frodo and Pippin among them, had been planning to take a trip to the swim hole nearby – without a clinging little girl. _

"_Eos, just get back in the smial and stay out of trouble, will you?" pleaded Reginard. _

"_I ain't going back in there!" _

"_Fine, just stay put right there, then."_

"_Alright, go to the swim hole. And I'll tell Ma that you left me here in the dirt all alone, and she'll tan you!"_

_Frodo tapped his cousin's shoulder. "Just let her watch, Reggy. She may not be that much trouble." Other lads joined in. _

"_Yea, Reg, she can keep a distance..."_

"_We can swim and keep an eye on her at the same time, can't we?"_

"_Maybe we can make her keep quiet, bribe her, or something."_

"_If she gets run over by a horse and cart, it'll be your fault…"_

_Overcome by his peers' urges, Reginard relented. At the swim hole, Eos sat near the bank while the lads raced across the water. _

_Suddenly, they all heard a loud splash. They all looked behind them to see ripples in the water near the bank. But before any of them could work up a shout, Eos was already trudging out of the water and returning to her grassy spot. _

_Reginard's friends had started laughing hysterically, initially to his great dissatisfaction, but he eventually laughed along with his friends about the antics of his baby sister. _

_That had been the first time Frodo had ever paid attention to the youngest Took girl. _

_They had met a month later, on one of Frodo and Bilbo's visits to the Smials. They were at a party, where Frodo noticed Eos standing to the side, watching the dancers. _

"_Are any of your friends here?" he asked, walking over to her._

"_Yes, but they all want to dance with them boys from Buckland," she replied, pointing._

"_Why aren't you dancing?"_

"_I would if Ma would let me. She says I ain't old enough for dancing."_

"_Twelve is rather young, wouldn't you say?"_

"_I suppose." The girl sighed. "But I guess even if I were old enough no one will dance with me."_

"_Why's that?"_

"_I follow older boys around and I like to swim. And my dresses are always all messy and I like to use 'ain't'. I also read anything in sight."_

_Frodo had to laugh at this statement. In the back of his mind he was delighted to find someone who read._

"_You like to read anything, you say?"_

"_Yes."_

"_I'll promise you something. When you're old enough to dance, I'll dance with you for sure. In the meantime, come up and read as long as you like."_

_The deal was too good to pass up. _

Frodo grinned to himself. They had both been young and silly then, despite their difference in age. He had kept his promise, though.

_Frodo did dance with her, when she was eighteen. They danced often after that. Eos came up to Bag End almost once a fortnight to read in his library. The two became friends, and had much to talk about on these visits. Frodo even had time to teach her runes and some of the elvish tongue. _

Frodo supposed he had begun to love her as time went by. But Frodo seemed to always have difficulty grasping what love of a female was during his youth. Just as he took hold of what he felt, Eos was engaged to the son of a Bracegirdle who worked with her father. She was already pregnant by the time Frodo even thought of the possibility that he could have married her instead.

He had gone on the Quest partly to forget about her, the love he had been too asinine to recognize. He had intended to forget so that he would not have to look back and regret. But had his travels helped anything? He came back with haunting memories and ever-lasting wounds. He knew not what seeing Eos's child would bring.

Mind worn from memory, Frodo blew out the candle on his bedside, turned over, and had a night of fitful sleep. He only dreamed of one.

"_Frodo!" exclaimed Eos. "Come in! What is it?" she asked, noticing his anxious face._

"_Is Olo here?" Frodo asked._

"_No, he's out…" Eos furrowed her brow. "Why?"_

"_I need to talk to you…" Frodo's movements were strangely urgent and jittery as he hung up his cloak. _

"_Do you need anything? Tea?"_

"_No. I shan't stay long." Frodo took Eos's hands in his. There was a pause._

"_When are you due?"_

"_In June. Frodo, you said you wanted to talk."_

"_Yes. Eos – " Frodo held her hands to his breast. He laughed nervously. "I guess we've been friends a while."_

"_Yes…?"_

"_I just needed to tell you…" He took her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly, sorrowfully._

_They both stepped back when the kiss ended. They stared at each other. _

"_I loved you all along, Eos. I was too foolish to see that until you married."_

_Tears glittered in Eos's eyes. When his vision began to blur, Frodo decided to leave before he wept fully in front of her. _

"_I just wanted to apologize for not telling you earlier." He reached for his cloak. "I suppose I shan't see you for a long time, Eos love." Turning to look back at her with deep sorrow in his eyes, he left. He did not see Eos blow a kiss after him and whisper, "Goodbye, Frodo."_


	3. For A Little Girl

A.N.: Thanks for the reviews, people! Keep it up! I may go a bit slow but don't give up on me. By the way, there's a vague reference to opium in this chapter, and I do hope no one gets offended.

Chapter 3: For A Little Girl

Eos Took looked into a little mirror in her tiny hobbit-size room in the _Prancing Pony_. She hadn't bothered to look at herself carefully before when she came here a month ago. She had grown thin and the roses that had once lit up her face before she was married had nearly all faded into lilies. She was still quite pretty, and would be beautiful if she weren't so haggard.

There was something else too. Her eyes seemed alien, almost wild. She supposed it was from all her fights for survival for the last ten years. Most of them had been when she was with Olo. Then when she had escaped, there was the wild forests and the feeling of having no place to go. When she came to Bree, she had had her first experience with the Big Folk.

No, Olo Bracegirdle had not been an evil man. It was his drinking that had done it, and his smoking of that horrible weed the ruffians from down South had brought to the Shire, instead of good, proper pipe weed. She had heard it had come from a flower called the poppy that was grown there. Eos had known for years that he and his father had been illegally trading goods with ruffians. _Like father, like son,_ she thought scornfully. Back then, she had been afraid to mention any of her knowledge to anyone, for fear that her husband would find out and beat her. Now, she almost hit herself for not being brave enough to do what was right.

Then, maybe she could have saved more than one person, her husband from further addiction and her daughter from being exposed to its usage. Ah, her little daughter.

That was another thing she hated herself for. When she ran away, she'd left little Crystal behind. _I think I was going insane, _she thought bitterly and with guilt. _So insane that I couldn't think of what was more important, my life or Crystal's. _

She hadn't thought it possible, but she had found herself thinking that if that Frodo Baggins hadn't ducked out of her life, things would seem less out of order. After he'd told her abruptly of his love and then left, she had found herself longing for him to come back to her, to kiss her again and to hold her. That had been the last time she'd spoken to him. Afterwards, whenever their eyes met at parties, Frodo would quickly look away with hurt and regret in his eyes. She trusted her parents' judgement, and thought she would eventually come to love her husband. But after a few months, she knew it was impossible, even though she became pregnant quickly. _I had a fruitless fantasy, a child to protect and a husband who abused his beer. No wonder I became insane. Oh Frodo, if only you were there to save me…_

No! She must not think of Frodo! Frodo was far from here and could not comfort her now.

Eos was famished. She wrapped a shawl about herself and headed downstairs to get a meal to bring up to her room.

The next morning, Frodo went into the market and headed toward the millinery, owned by Mrs. Chubb.

"Ah, Mr. Baggins!" she exclaimed. "This is a pleasant surprise. May I help you?"

"May I see the dolls that you have, Mrs. Chubb?"

"Certainly, follow me."

Frodo looked carefully at all the dolls. He decided right away he wouldn't choose one with blonde hair, they didn't seem right for the little girl he had in mind. He selected one with dark brown hair, and a silky blue dress. Its dark brown eyes gazed innocently back at him.

"May I ask who this is for?" asked Mrs. Chubb, as she wrapped up the doll.

Frodo smiled mysteriously. "For a little girl," he replied.

As he left with the package, Mrs. Chubb smiled amusedly to herself. "Well, I never!" she thought.

Pippin and Frodo returned to Olo Bracegirdle's hole. Once again, Frodo stepped outside, leaving Pippin and Olo alone.

Crystal ran up to him in the foyer. Frodo knelt beside her, took the brown package from under his cloak and handed it to her. He had to laugh when he saw her radiant face as the paper fell away.

"Do you like it?" he asked, as Crystal clutched the doll. She nodded happily, and threw her arms around his neck. Frodo returned the embrace. He felt a rush of affection for the little girl. _If her mother could see her now,_ he thought. _She's so happy. Eos, where are you?_

When she drew back from him, he held her face in his hands and said to her, seriously, "Can you promise to keep this from your father?"

"I promise," Crystal replied. "Frodo?"

"Yes?"

"Can I come and live with you?" she asked shyly.

The childish question both surprised and amused Frodo. And yet, a possibility dawned on him. Chuckling, he drew the girl to him and, rocking her softly, replied, "Maybe, Crystal, maybe." Then, whispering, "I'll get you out of here."

"Merry, I need you to help me with something," said Frodo in the office.

"What would that be, cousin?"

"It's about Olo Bracegirdle…"

A.N.: To be continued, readers! By the way, did you know that I named Eos Took after the second violinist in the string quartet Bond? I just thought it was a pretty name. I read in the flippy thing that came with their album "Born" that Eos means "nightingale" in Welsh. Sorry, random fact.


	4. A Ray Of Hope

Chapter 4: A Ray of Hope

There was a knock on Olo Bracegirdle's door one afternoon. When the shirrif answered it, Merry stepped in, along with a few other men.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Bracegirdle," he addressed him politely. "We are sorry to trouble you now, but I'm afraid that we have a warrant to search your smial."

"Why's that, Mr. Meriadoc?" Olo asked suspiciously.

"One of our people back in Hobbiton expressed some concerns about you and the condition of your child, Miss Crystal Bracegirdle, I believe?"

"Who - ?"

"The hobbit in question wished for us not to disclose his name. Now, if you would just step aside and let us carry out our duty, things will go much easier…"

Merry reported back to Frodo's office around five o'clock. The search had lasted for about two hours.

"How did it go, Merry?"

"We found that illegal southern weed from the poppy flower in his cellar. Opium, I believe it's called." Frodo looked at him in surprise. "It's true. It turns out our beloved hot-headed shirrif has been involved in underground activities for years with ruffians. Same with his father."

"What did you do?"

"I had him arrested and sent to the Lockholes. He'll probably have quite a bit of time to do."

"What did you do with the girl, then?"

"She's with Mosco Fields right now. He's going to bring her over."

"Good, good." Frodo nodded. Merry thought he saw a hint of a smile across his face. He sat in a chair by Frodo's desk.

"You were right about him and his girl, too," he said quietly. "She was curled up in a little ball in the corner of her room when we got there. We saw the whip marks and the bruises. And I think you should move for a change in custody on grounds of physical abuse."

"That's what I've been planning to do." Frodo got up and looked out the round window in the office. It was a week into December, and the sky was growing dark due to the shortening days.

Merry watched him closely for a bit. At length he asked, "Is it true that you went and bought Eos's girl a doll?"

Frodo's back was turned to him, so if he was surprised, Merry could not tell. "Yes, I did," Frodo answered. "How did you know?"

"After they took Olo away, we had to coax little Crystal out of her room. She brought a little stuffed bag with her and the doll as well. She asked us where we were taking her, and we told her we were taking her to you. She held up her doll and said, 'He gave me my doll!'"

Frodo laughed softly. "She remembered," he said.

"But Frodo, why?"

"Why what?"

"You and Pip went over to make arrangements with Olo only a week ago. In that small amount of time, you get her a doll. Knowing you, you would probably do the same for any other lad or lass, but in a week?" Frodo said nothing. "What made you do that much for her?"

Frodo shrugged. "It was because her mother was Eos, wasn't it?" Merry demanded. "Because she was the daughter of the woman you loved."

He saw his friend's shoulders tense. Then, "How did you know?" His voice was quiet, steely.

Merry, sensing Frodo's discomfort chose his words carefully. "I'm not blind, Frodo." For a few moments silence screamed. "Are you angry with me, Frodo?"

"No, not at all. Just… don't talk to me about her, alright? I – I don't want to suffer any further if I ever find out she's - dead, or maybe remarried. I don't think I could bear it if I kept yearning for her."

"Well, she can't remarry, she hasn't even divorced yet! Why, she'd be guilty of bigamy!"

"If she's gone outside the Shire – Bree, for instance – our laws won't apply to her." Frodo turned back to Merry. "I don't know, Merry. All I want to care about right now is Crystal." He paused. "If I can't have Eos, I'll have her child."

Mosco brought Crystal to the office half an hour later. She had his overcoat dragging behind her. It flew off as she ran to Frodo, doll in hand.

"What are you planning to do with her, Frodo?" asked Merry.

"I believe I am allowed to have custody of her, as Deputy Mayor," he replied, as the girl wrapped her arms around his waist. He put a hand on her head. "Eos has two sisters, we'll see what they say about the matter later. For now, I'm bringing her home." He took his coat, wrapped it around Crystal, then picked her up and wrapped her cloak around the both of them.

"Are you ready, Crystal?"

"Are we going to your home?"

"Yes we are, when you're warm."

Partway back to the Cottons', Crystal fell asleep leaning against Frodo's chest. He was warmed by her soft touch and the trust and affection that poured out from her into him. He enjoyed the sensation until they reached the front door of the farmer.

Frodo shook her gently awake. "Crystal… Crystal, we're home." Sam and Rosie went up to him as he set Crystal on her feet.

"So this is _the _Crystal we've been hearing so much about," Sam said as he helped Frodo get his overcoat off of the slightly drowsy child.

"Most certainly, Sam," said Frodo as he grinned back at him. "Did you hear about Olo's arrest?"

"Why, it's already halfway around town how one of our shirrifs has been smoking illegal weed and is having his daughter taken from him on grounds of abuse."

"And by tomorrow it'll be news from here to Michel Delving, I should guess," Frodo replied idly as he chafed Crystal's cold hands. He pushed her gently toward Rosie. "Rosie, could you give Crystal a bath and something light to eat? I swear I can hear her stomach roaring from here."

"Of course, Mr. Baggins. If she trusts me enough to come without you," Rosie added jokingly, gesturing to Crystal, who was still hanging on to Frodo's sleeve.

"Go on," Frodo coaxed softly. "I'll still be nearby. Aunty Rosie will be good to you. Go on."

Crystal let go of him and took Rosie's hand. As she took her down the hall, Sam followed Frodo to the small kitchen, where Frodo collapsed into a chair. Sam sat beside him.

"Long day, hm?" he asked.

"I guess. I think it just seemed long, from all the waiting in the office and thinking about how the girl was, if she was being treated decently." He paused. "Well, she's here now, that's all that matters."

"But her sisters – Celandine and Berylla – they might want to have custody of their niece, seeing that they're relatives."

A shadow came over Frodo's face. "I was thinking of that. Oh, Sam, I know that rightfully they should have her, but… I just don't want to let her go. I already care for her so much."

Frodo and Sam talked quietly for a while Frodo had his dinner (Sam and the rest of the Cottons had already had theirs). Rosie came in to get a plate of food for Crystal to eat in her room, and told Frodo that she'd given Crystal some small lass's clothes from when she was little. As she went out, Frodo caught a little loving smile that passed between her and Sam. He grinned inwardly to himself. It was about time Sam settled down with a wife, he thought.

A quarter of an hour later, Rosie came back to say she'd tucked Crystal in, but she wanted to see Frodo before she went to sleep. Frodo got up to go to her room.

"She's in the last room at the end of the hall, where Nibs used to sleep," Rosie called after him.

Frodo opened the bedroom door and quietly shut it behind him. Crystal was sitting up in the little bed, waiting expectantly.

"Crystal," said Frodo in a mock exasperated tone, "little hobbit girls are supposed to be asleep by now."

"But I wanted to ask you something."

Frodo sat on the bed with her. "What's that?"

"Will I have to go and live with Aunt Celandine or Aunt Berylla?"

"We'll see, we'll see. I told them to come here tomorrow so we could talk about it."

"I want to stay here, Frodo."

Frodo was quiet for a moment. "Don't you love your aunts?"

"I love them, but I want to stay here."

He sighed. "Maybe you'll stay, maybe you won't. I can't say, baby." He bent his head for a moment, as if in thought, then he looked at her and said, "Go to sleep now, Crystal. Don't worry about this until tomorrow."

Crystal lay back on the pillows, and he tucked the blankets more snugly around her. He was about to lean over and kiss her goodnight, when another question came. "Frodo?"

"Yes?" Frodo took one of the little hands that lay on the pillows.

"Did you know my Mommy?"

Even at the young age of nine, Crystal saw a brief flash of grief in Frodo's eyes before he replied, "Yes, I knew her."

"Did you like her?"

Another pause. "Yes, I liked her very much. We were friends."

"Did she like you?"

"I would think so."

"Why did you like her?"

"Well, she was beautiful, she was intelligent. And she was very kind to people. Your mother was a good woman." Frodo's eyes went to a shade of ethereal sky blue, like they did when he was pensive. Crystal lay there, silent, fascinated by the emotions chasing each other across his face. There was a mixture of sadness, love and deep thoughtfulness. Presently, he looked up and smiled at her. "You look very much like her. She should be proud."

She smiled back. Frodo kissed her forehead, blew out the candle on the bedstead, and left. She curled up into a ball under the covers and fell into undisturbed sleep.

Crystal did not know that when Frodo got back to his room, he pressed his back to the door, his eyes closed tightly with the agony in his heart.

A.N.: In hobbit years, Crystal would be about four years old, though she's nine in human years, a correction I made to this story with the guidance of Southern Gaelic. So think of Crystal as a preschooler, not a third-grader.


	5. The Guardian

Chapter 5: The Guardian

Celandine Took was older than Eos by four years, Berylla by two years. Eos had been the smallest of the three, Berylla the tallest, Celandine the most powerfully built.

Celandine had the darkest complexion, and disobedient dark brown curls. She had always been the most stubborn and staunch of the Took girls. The people on the farms and remote countryside said that this was the reason for which she had not found a husband until very recently. Many men found her hard to reason with. Still, she made a loyal housewife, and was never known to shirk any of her duties in her life.

Berylla, the middle sister and the most cheerful, was Eos's favorite, as rumors had it. She was round-faced and had golden-brown hair, along with unbeatably good humor. The latter complemented her main vice, which was her feebleness. She had married shortly before Eos did, and now had a son who was about eleven.

The two came to the Cottons' shortly after second breakfast. Farmer Cotton cordially invited them in and ushered them to the sitting room, where Rosie had set a tea tray. He then called to Frodo that his guests were here.

Frodo greeted them and sat across from them. Frodo was about to speak when Crystal ran in, clutching her doll and sporting the clean hand-me-down pinafore Rosie had given her. She climbed into Frodo's lap. "Frodo! Frodo! Rosie says she can take me down to the Tunellys' farm and I can meet their little girl and the baby. Can I go, Frodo?"

"Whoa, Crystal," said Frodo, setting her down. "Before you do anything, say hello to your aunts." He turned her around to face the two women.

"Hello, Aunt Celandine. Hello, Aunt Berylla." Crystal went up to each of them and kissed them on the cheek. Then she ran back to Frodo, face expectant.

Frodo sighed. Should he start acting like her parent when her guardians were here? "Maybe, Crystal. We'll see. Just run along and play now. I'll tell you later."

Crystal went obediently to her room. Berylla glanced at her thoughtfully and turned back to Frodo. "I wonder, has she given you a hard time yet, Mr. Baggins?"

"Quite the opposite, Miss Berylla. The girl's been good as gold, thus far." He glanced after the little girl. "I wouldn't think it possible for her to trouble you too much to take her back?"

The sisters glanced at one another. "That's what we wanted to talk to you about," said Berylla. She held up a hand as Frodo opened his mouth. "It is not what you think. For now, I only ask you to hear our explanation. Celandine?"

"You see, Mr. Baggins," said Celandine, "Our family does business with the mills around the area. While Sharkey's occupation, his people took away most of our mills. So now we are rather tight on money, having been out of business for a while. Everard and Reginard are in the same status as well, down in Tighfield. Mr. Baggins, we cannot afford to accommodate any more children."

Frodo could not believe what he was hearing. "So… you are telling me…"

"Keep the girl, Mr. Baggins," said Berylla. "I believe Eos would have appreciated it," she added, quietly. Frodo almost drew back. How many people knew about him and Eos?

Celandine laughed softly. "So send Crystal to visit the Tunellys' farm and their daughter. From now on, she will be your little girl."

Frodo was reading by the fire when Crystal came back. She immediately climbed into Frodo's lap, bubbling with excitement.

"The girl said she liked my doll," she said, "and the baby has brown eyes, like me, but its hair sticks up, like grass!"

"Hm," said Frodo a bit lazily, softly stroking her hair. "And does she want you to go back?"

"She didn't say, but her mama does." Crystal settled back in Frodo's arms. She became fascinated in Frodo's book. "Why doesn't it have pictures?"

"Because, when you grow up, you don't need pictures anymore when you read," he replied, kissing the tousled brown curls.

Crystal yawned, saying, "I'm not growing up. I want books with pictures." Frodo laughed softly, then put the book down. "I think I do have a book with pictures," he said, leaning over to reach a pile of books at his feet. "Ah, right here." It was a volume in which elves had translated some of their legends, including Luthien and Beren. The water colored paintings drew Crystal to it at once.

"But I can't read though."

"Then, I think it's about time."

Eos was hunched over a beer in the _Prancing Pony_. She hadn't bothered to tie her long black hair back, for it shielded her face from anyone who would recognize her.

Barliman Butterbur came by and placed a plate of food in front of her. Her fingers shook from the lack of nourishment as she brought it closer and attacked it like a wolf would fresh meat. _I'm pathetic_, she thought. _Who would have thought Eos Took would be living a hand to mouth existence, and in Bree of all places?_

There was always a group of drinkers in the inn that brought in news from the Shire and the borders of Bree. Eos liked to listen to what they had to say.

"Tom, there is no danger of ruffians anymore," said one of the gossipers. "Sure, there'll be a pickpocket now and then, but no more army under that Sharkey we heard about yonder. I have better news, my fellers."

They all leaned in closer. "That Mr. Baggins, you know the one who came back?" Eos's ears pricked.

"You mean, the one who said to call him Mr. Underhill the first time?"

"Yeah, that one. I heard he took a little girl into his custody."

Eos's heart did a somersault.

"What!" They leaned in even closer. "Now, where'd ye hear that, Bob?"

"That Robin Smallbarrow, the member of the Shire Watch. He was put on patrol on the borders and dropped by."

"Mr. Baggins, you say, took a girl into his custody?" Eos asked quietly as she approached them. The man named Bob nodded to the rest, and they shifted to allow the hobbit lady in.

"Quite true, madam, quite true."

"Are you sure this is no rumor?"

"As far as we know, Robin Smallbarrow tells no lies."

"May I ask which little girl?"

The men guffawed loudly. "Why, a drunkard shirriff who bought illegal pipeweed from southern ruffians! Olo – Proudfoot – yes, that's the name. Someone reported him, Mr. Baggins took his little girl, and he's been caring for her ever since. He dotes in her, and taught her to read, even, as I gather."

Eos struggled not to look astonished. "And what say had the mother in this?"

"Ah, that's the interesting part. 'Round the end of October, she disappeared, without a trace. Had a queer name, Eos, I think. She was one of the Tooks. Anyway, people came up with all kinds of stories. Some say Olo knocked her cold and abandoned her somewhere far away, others say she ran away to escape from her marriage. Oh yes, they also say Olo beat Eos and their little girl often."

"In that case, I shan't blame her for running," said the man named Tom. "But I wonder, why wouldn't she bring her girl with her?"

"No one knows. But curious, anyhow."

Eos was silent for a moment. Then she stirred and said, "Thank you gentlemen, for this piece of news." She took the mug of beer from her table and went to her room. The group of men began speaking of the anticipated harvest and the farmers.

Eos closed the door and leaned against it for a few minutes, quietly letting the news she had heard sink in. Was she supposed to laugh or cry? _Frodo's got my little girl. _Was she to feel shame or joy? _He taught her to read. He dotes on her, that man said._

She started throwing items into the pack she had brought along. Among them were her crochet hook, knitting needles, needle book, and cards of wool. She put on a pendant her mother had given her as a baby, a silver nightingale.

An hour later, she was camping in a bramble of bushes at the edge of Bree.

She was going back.

Frodo and Crystal had developed a nighttime tradition of reading in the big armchair by the fire before Frodo carried Crystal to bed. Crystal quickly picked up reading, and soon, Frodo let her read tall tales and elvish lore to him.

Tonight, though, Frodo was reading more advanced lore to Crystal. When he looked at her after he was finished, she was fast asleep in his arms, her lips in a little pout.

Frodo loved looking at her pout long after she had gone to sleep. It made her look so impotent and innocent that it melted his heart. It also reminded him of Eos when he knew her, and how her lips were in each of her different moods. Frodo shook his head. Would he ever stop thinking of Eos when he looked at her daughter?

He took a quilt draped over a nearby chair and covered them both with it. Crystal made a small mew in her throat and snuggled closer to his chest. Frodo's arms held her tightly. He would always love this little girl, even when she grew older and wanted to run after the lads at parties. He would always be the father figure in her life, if not her blood father.

And she would carry his love throughout her life.

There was a knock on the door, and Sam came in. "It is way past Her Royal Highness's bedtime," he said, grinning at the sight of the two of them. He liked to call Crystal Her Royal Highness these days, since she demanded so much of Frodo's attention.

"I'll take her to bed presently, Sam. She's asleep anyway."

Sam watched Frodo cradle her. A question came out of the blue. "Why do you care so much for one girl? Surely you don't do all this out of charity?"

"What does 'all this' mean?"

"Reading to her every night, buying her trinkets every week, doting on her."

"I guess…" Frodo paused a moment. "I guess… I couldn't take misery out of everyone's lives by destroying the Ring, but I feel whole when give one person happiness."

There was silence. Then Sam said, "I guess Olo wasn't too happy at the trial when he saw his daughter clinging to you. I remember that he said, 'Don't hide behind someone who ain't your father!'"

"I can understand. I wouldn't like to be in his position. Ten years in the Lockholes, my, my."

They both laughed. Frodo stood up, picking up Crystal. As Sam went past him to bank the flames, he carried Crystal to her room. He tucked her in, kissed her forehead, and left.

Crystal curled up into a ball under the covers in the moonlight after he had gone. She dreamed that her mother had come back to her, saying, "Sweet, where is Frodo?"

A.N.: Readers, if Frodo starts sounding a bit too much like Atticus from "To Kill A Mockingbird", do tell me.


	6. Come Back To Me

A.N.: In this chapter will come the moment you've all been waiting for, and that's all I'll say.

Chapter 6: Come Back To Me

Eos had bought a pony from a farmer in Buckland that took her swiftly past the Old Forest. She then had sold it for enough money to buy her one night at the _Floating Log_. She had been traveling a week and a half, and it was now the third week of December.

On the way, she had inquired about how to reach Frodo Baggins, and an old farmer's wife had directed her to the Cottons. When asked why, she had answered simply, "He's a friend of mine."

"Crystal, I have a present for you," Frodo called to her. Crystal wondered over, with a look of boredom. Frodo chuckled. Gifts were nothing new to her now. He and the Cottons had bedecked her with toys and new clothes over the past few weeks. The blue linen frock she was wearing was among those new things. Now, she probably thought it would be more of the same.

"Close your eyes, that's it," he said. He took her hands and placed a picture book of abridged elvish stories in them. She gasped when she opened her eyes and saw it. "Thank you!" she squeaked. She hugged his waist tightly.

"Do you feel like reading it to me?"

"No."

"No?"

"I wanna read by myself."

"Alright then, suit yourself."

Crystal ran down to her room and flopped onto the bed to read. When Frodo went to check on her, she was propped against the headboard, sucking on the sticks of malt candy Rosie had bought her on market day, and clutching her doll, which she called "Big Opal". He smiled to himself, and closed the door quietly.

Two hours later, Frodo went to bring her to dinner. The last piece of malt candy was jutting out of her mouth like a pipe, and she was still running her fingers over the drawings.

_Of course, Crystal loves toys, _he thought. _But none can inspire her like books can. More books are what she needs, not dolls. Oh, Eos my love, if you saw your little girl now, you would be so proud. _

The soles of hobbits' feet are thick enough for them to travel long distances barefoot. Yet Eos's feet were blistered and bleeding, and the pain made worse by the winter's chill.

A few yards from the Tunnellys' farm, there was a hollow at the bottom of a tree, whose roots spread over it, making a crude but sufficient shelter. Eos settled down in it for the evening. Her fingers were too cold to hold the crochet hook, so she kept them inside her cloak, which had a hole in it.

All her clothes were worn, as she had had no means of purchasing new ones during her life with Olo. They were all patched and frayed. Life as seamstress with a drunkard shirriff as a spouse was not an easy one.

When Olo started beating her, Eos had been worried that her constantly tremulous hands would spoil the quality of her work. But business remained steady, though it brought in little money. After Crystal was born, some did business with her out of sympathy. That didn't make life easier, though. That had been the point when Olo had started looking up the legs of other women, the first of which had been Asphodel Fields. She'd thought Asphodel was her friend until that fateful night.

_Eos was coming home from work late with Crystal. Mrs. Banks had held her up with the sale of one of her embroidered tablecloths. She had stopped by one of the food stalls that remained open to buy some bread for tomorrow. _

_She opened the front door of the smial and, balancing the infant on her hip, hung up her cloak and put her basket of bread in the kitchen cupboard. The baby was fretting from tiredness, so she took her to the nursery and tucked her into the crib. Eos hoped not to wake her husband, who was probably in drunken sleep by now and would fly into rage if woken. _

_Eos was heading toward the bedroom, when she stopped. What were those rhythmic groans and moaning from, those grunts and cries of – pleasure? Was that the squeaking of a bed frame? She walked to the door, and holding her breath, pushed it open. _

_What a shock she had when she saw her husband's large brown form in their bed, lying prostrate and pushing over and over into a woman's white body below him. There were clothes scattered all over the floor, and the room was rank with the smell of sex and alcohol and foreign pipeweed. _

_Wait a minute…she knew those stringy red curls, and that rounded body. Then it clicked. Asphodel. That woman was always after one man or another. _

_Asphodel had heard the door open, and she turned her face in Eos's direction. Eos could not help crying her name in shock. "ASPHODEL!" _

_That was clearly a mistake, for Olo, hearing her shout, rose in fury from the covers. "Why, you spying little slut!" In three strides, he went and grabbed and threw her out into the hall. _

_Eos was still recovering from being thrown against the wall when Olo emerged again, this time with his horsewhip. He was a horrifying sight, naked and red with rage. He brought the whip down, and Eos's back burned as it cut into her. She bit her lip to keep from screaming. She would not scream. She would not give Olo the pleasure of seeing her so obviously in pain. Eos was so concentrated on resisting her screams that she even blocked out what Olo was roaring._

"_You little slut! Why'd you walk in if you can't even give me a man child? You going to keep from getting one?" _

_After he had put several whip weals into her back (along with a few older ones), he picked her up and threw her into the nursery. Eos banged her head on the edge of the crib, and Crystal started to wail._

"_And get that thing to shut up, you hear?" Olo shouted as he slammed the door behind him. Eos lay there shaking for a few moments, then went to Crystal, rubbing the bruise that was rising in her forehead. She picked up the baby._

"_Shh…shh…Mama's here…there, don't cry…" _

She had dared not leave the nursery until early morning, when it was time to leave for work. Of course, later in the day, Asphodel had come to pay her respects at the stall.

"_So, Eos, who do you think does it better with him, you or me?"_

"_I think nothing. I just wish you'd done it someplace other than the bed I'm suppose to sleep in."_

_Asphodel's face seemed to droop a little. "You're not irked to know that your husband beds other women?"_

"_Take Olo for all I care. But Del," Eos said, using the name all their friends had used when they were girls, "Del, despite your love of men, I thought you had more respect for both yourself and your friends."_

Frodo tucked Crystal into bed, as he did every night. As he did every night, he sat on the bed a bit, stroking her hair and admiring her beauty and how much she had grown that day. Always he would wonder how much she would be like her mother when she grew up.

He got up and stood by the window. The winter moon was shining at its fullest tonight. It lit up the tops of the trees, and the barns on other farms beyond. He could even see that figure walking near the fence…

Wait… the figure looked like that of a woman. Frodo saw the outline of a ragged cloak, and disheveled curls. Perhaps she was one of the homeless ones who came by looking for help.

He grabbed his cloak and headed outside the hole. The woman seemed to be holding onto the fence and using it to boost her progress along the road. Was she ill?

"Good evening, miss," he called, "May I be of some service to you?"

The woman looked up at him. Her face was illuminated in the moonlight, and Frodo could see who it was.

"Eos?" he said.

"Frodo," she whispered.

A.N.: Sorry to leave off here, folks, but I thought it'd be fun to expand using a cliff hanger.


	7. Miss Took's Testimony

Chapter 7: Miss Took's Testimony

"Frodo," Eos whispered. He still looked beautiful after all those years. Was he too beautiful to be real? She must be dreaming…

She felt herself falling, and her vision blurred. She wondered if she would wake up anytime soon.

"Eos!" Frodo ran and caught her as she fell. "Oh, Eos, darling…"

"Is that really you, Frodo?" she asked faintly.

"It's me, Eos, it's Frodo," he almost sobbed, burying his face in her hair. He noticed that she was shivering, and lifted her up. A few snowflakes fell into his hair.

"A snowstorm is threatening. I ought to get you inside. Can you walk?"

"Yes – I think so."

"Here, lean on me."

Frodo held Eos up as they made their way back to the Cottons' hole. Coughs wracked Eos's body. Frodo wrapped his cloak around her. _She is ill_, he thought.

Eos clung to Frodo's arms as he helped her through the door. He held her as a huge cough tore through her. He took her cloak and hung it up on a peg. He then took a good look at her. Eos was much thinner than Frodo had remembered. In fact, she looked awfully famished. Also, the roses that once had seemed to bloom in her cheeks for eternity had now turned to pale lilies. Her dark eyes were morose and seemed almost wild from malnourishment and mistreatment. Her black hair had a single streak of grey running through it.

What had happened to the vivacious, innocent Eos, whose smiles always held three large dimples, and cocked her head when one spoke to her? Who was cruel enough to make this happy beautiful creature so sad?

Eos, half coughing, half sobbing, allowed Frodo to embrace her tightly and murmur her name over and over into her hair. "Oh, Eos, what happened?"

She tried to hold back a cough when she spoke. "It's a long story, Frodo."

"Mr. Frodo, do we have company at this time of night?" Sam's voice came from the back of the hole.

"Sam," said Frodo, as his friend came into the foyer, "I think we should welcome back Miss Eos Took." He put his hands on her noticeably frail shoulders.

Sam's eyes looked on the verge of popping. He leaned forward slightly, as if to affirm that it was indeed Eos. He then gathered himself together and said, "Eos – this is a surprise!"

Eos smiled shakily before another severe coughing fit came over her. "Rosie!" Sam called over his shoulder. He ran over to help Frodo keep her from collapsing. Rosie appeared. Her reaction was about the same as Sam's.

"Eos? Is that _you_? Wha – ?"

Sam put a hand on her arm. "Rosie-lass, I don't think we should make her speak right now. She's tired, she's ill. Can you get her to your room to rest a bit?"

Rosie, lost for words, went and took Eos by the shoulders and gently steered her toward her room. Farmer Cotton was walking past when he saw Rosie with Eos. "What's going on?"

"Calm down, Mr. Cotton, Miss Eos just came by, and she was sick, so we had her come in," Sam explained.

"Does any of her family know about this?"

"I don't think so," said Frodo.

"Well then, we should at least tell her father – "

"No."

Sam and Farmer Cotton both looked at Frodo, surprised at the firmness of his response.

"Why ever not?" asked Sam.

"I haven't seen Eos in a long time, so I may not interpret her actions accurately, but I think if she had wanted her family to know she was back, she would have gone to them, not us."

"Why do you think she wouldn't want to go to her family? Her sisters, maybe? Berylla?"

"I don't rightly know. But I wouldn't take action until she tells us what she wants." Frodo touched Eos's blue cloak. It was ragged and barely wearable. Frodo remembered when it once had been new. In the few times he had glimpsed her over the years she had been married, he noticed it had gained patch upon patch, until the patches needed patches themselves. Someone hadn't been treating her right.

Olo Bracegirdle. It had to be. Memory of when he first saw Crystal came back to him.

"_Daddy always hit her and she cried."_ Crystal's bruises and cuts from a whip. Her fluttery mannerisms when he first saw her.

Frodo had got his man. And he didn't think he was counting his chickens too early.

An hour later, Rosie came to Frodo and Sam in the kitchen. "Frodo, I need to talk to you for a moment."

They both stood in the hall outside Rosie's room. "Frodo, Eos desperately wants you to be with her, but first I have to tell you something." For a moment she wrung her apron nervously.

"What is it?"

"Eos seems to have been abused for over a number of years. When I was bathing her, I saw her torso, which was covered in yellow bruises and a good deal of whip weals. She has scars all over her, Frodo."

Frodo's brow furrowed. "Did she tell you who beat and whipped her?"

"No. She was very scared. She wanted you to know first."

Frodo put his hands in his breeches pockets and stared at the floor. At length he looked up and said, "How is she now?"

"She has a mild fever. She'll recover within a week with the right treatment. Now please, go to her. She needs you."

Frodo sighed and opened the door. The room was dimly lit. Frodo could see a dark-haired head propped up on the pillows. "Frodo?" Eos's voice called to him in a faint, thin voice.

"Eos, I'm here." Frodo sat on the bed beside her and took one of her tiny hands. It was bony and cold. "You needed me?"

"Just stay here with me, Frodo. I don't need more."

She regretted saying that. Her old sweetheart's hypnotic blue eyes seemed to pierce her soul. "You're not telling me the truth, Eos."

Eos closed her eyes and breathed out hard. She squeezed Frodo's hand.

"Just tell me everything. From when you married till now." Eos's eyes fluttered open to gaze back at him.

"Please tell me – Eos." He said this in an almost begging tone. Frodo reached out to caress her cheek. The look of pure and utter love she saw in his eyes melted her heart. She began.

She told of her arranged marriage to Olo Bracegirdle and the pain of their wedding night. He had threatened to sleep with other women if she did not let him have his way with her, so she had let him. She had thought they would eventually come to love each other, but Olo knew no love, only lust.

When the baby came, Olo slept other women anyway. And he started beating her often.

"Olo was clever. When he beat me, he never touched my face, so that all my wounds would be hidden under my clothing. The only time that he ever harmed my face was when he threw me into the nursery, and I hit my forehead on a table." She reached up and touched the scar, wincing from the memory.

"I remember!" Frodo leaned forward to touch the scar. "I was walking past your stall one day when I noticed you in the back, nursing a huge cut on your forehead. That was the only time you were hurt in the head." He looked at the cut thoughtfully. "Why did he throw you that time?"

"I caught him bedding another woman, and he became angry." Eos tried to hide the tears leaping into her eyes, but Frodo saw. He wiped them gently away.

"But if he treated you so, why does it upset you?" he asked.

"It's the woman that he was rutting in our bed with. Oh, Eru…" Eos turned away, weeping openly. Frodo took her in his arms and propped her head on his shoulder, shushing her softly. "What is it, Eos?"

"She was my _friend_, that is, up until that incident," she spat bitterly. "Olo was sleeping with Asphodel Fields."

"I remember Asphodel," said Frodo. "Stringy red hair, quite round, right? Wasn't she a tart who flirted with everyone at parties?"

"That's the one." Eos was quivering with anger in his arms. "I can't believe I was once her _friend_. Asphodel, who bedded her friend's husband!"

Frodo sensed she wanted to explode right there in his embrace, so he held her closer to comfort her. "Eos, Eos, I need to know your story. I can't find out if you don't keep your hurt get in the way of your reasoning."

Eos calmed down and snuggled closer to Frodo. "He did sleep with more women," she said, "but I never found out which ones. I learned not to enter the bedroom if I heard noises from inside. I would sleep in the nursery. But he still kept beating me on a daily basis. The minimum was a smack in the shoulder. The worst times were when he was drunk. He once chased me around the hole with a belt in his hand." She shuddered. "And as soon as Crystal could walk, he kicked her around also. I think you have an idea of what he did, having taken care of her."

Frodo nodded. "When I first saw her I noticed the cuts and bruises on her arms. She told me Olo took away her playthings."

"That he did. The thing was I was too scared to tell anyone what everyone what went on in my home. Not even my dear Berylla… Oh, Berylla." She buried her face in Frodo's vest.

"What about Berylla?"

"Asphodel and Berylla remain friends to this very day. When we were little girls, Asphodel would drag Berylla with her to spy on lads. Berylla was always her favorite, and Berylla always considered her as her best friend. I loved Berylla dearly, and I could not bear to have her think me a liar if I told her about Asphodel and Olo. Oh, Frodo, you do take my word, don't you?"

"Don't worry, Eos dear, I do." Frodo kissed the top of her head. "Just tell me about when you went missing," he whispered. He felt as though if he spoke any louder, he would break her. She felt so delicate right now. "Was that Olo's handiwork too?"

"No." Eos choked back a sob. "I ran away."

"You ran away? But – but without Crystal - ?"

"I think I was going mad. Two months ago I – I guess I just became focused on one objective, and that was to get away. It was like an animal instinct, I just had to be free of everything in my current life. So, I – ran. You must think I'm horrible."

Frodo shook his head. "Trust me, Eos, I've done worse. Where did you go?"

"I went to Bree and stayed there."

"You just – stayed there? What did you do in Bree?"

"I did some crochet work which I sold. Then I would wonder around and watch people. Most of the time I just hid in my room in the _Prancing Pony_." Eos's eyelids were beginning to droop. But Frodo could not let her sleep yet. He needed to know a little more.

"What made you come back?"

"I heard – some of the locals talking. They said – Mr. Baggins had taken – custody – of Olo Bracegirdle's - daughter." She coughed. "I heard – she was under better care – so I decided to come back…" She struggled to stay awake. "I wanted – to know she was – under better care – that she was happy and thriving - Frodo, where is my little girl?"

"I tucked her in bed before I found you. She is happy, Eos, she's fine."

"Good." Frodo let her lie back on the pillows. Eos turned to lie on her side, facing him. Eyes closed, she said, "There's – another reason – I wanted to come back…"

Frodo waited.

"I wanted to know – that you still cared for me – like you once did."

"I do, Eos, I do. I never stopped caring." _Care, Eos? I've never even stopped _loving _you for ten years!_

"That's good," Eos murmured sleepily. And she was asleep.

Frodo kept gazing at her, never wanting to leave. Finally, he laid a lingering kiss on her knuckles and blew out the single candle in the room. He left and closed the door softly behind him.

"_Once there was a way_

_To get back homeward._

_Once there was a way _

_To get back home._

_Sleep, pretty darling_

_Do not cry,_

_And I will sing a lullaby__" – _"Golden Slumbers", the Beatles

A.N.: Just so people know, my story can be found in the Open Scrolls Archive at 'cause I have about thirteen reviews on but about zippity do da in Open Scrolls. (Grrrrrrr…)

In addition, I hope the remaining members of the Beatles (Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr) don't mind the use of their song from the Abbey Road album, should they stumble across this story.

Also, I'm going to start responding to reviews on my blog. Just click on the link on my profile which says "homepage."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Because I Love You

Frodo woke a little before dawn the next day. _It's too early to be awake_, he thought, _I should get some more sleep._ But he could not go back to sleep. He needed to get up, go somewhere…

He slid out of bed and felt around for his shirt and breeches, which he pulled on. He padded quietly into the hallway. From the silence, it looked like no one else was awake. No one but him. _What am I doing awake?_

It was like he was being pushed by an invisible force. And it was pushing him toward Eos's room. The door was a magnet, pulling his hand to the knob and making him turn it. Inside, he could hear Eos's quiet breathing, blended with a few clearings of the throat.

Frodo sat in a chair by the bed and looked down at the woman. In sleep she looked as if she had no worries or fear, almost like she didn't want to care anymore about burdens. Women often complained about lines on their faces making them look older. But Frodo thought they made Eos look more beautiful than before. With this thought in mind, Frodo made up for his lack of sleep.

A coughing fit woke Eos up. She was clearing out her throat when she heard someone's breathing beside her. She looked wildly around for the source until her eyes stopped at her bedside. It was a hobbit man, asleep in the chair by her bed.

_Frodo._ Her heart purred.

Of course it was Frodo Baggins. Always there for her, always noble, and so – what was the word? – _gallant. _Frodo was always a gallant gentlehobbit, whether it was with her or anyone else.

When had he last been gallant with her? Oh yes, almost ten years ago, when she was about to give birth. Why, without Frodo, she'd have had her baby on a party field!

_Eos felt something like liquid pooling between her legs. Had her water broken already? No, it couldn't be, she was at a party at the Burrows', she couldn't give birth now!_

_But the liquid kept coming. Eos could see a little blood through her skirts. Then there was a sharp cramp in her abdomen. She grabbed a nearby table to keep from falling. The pain was staggering. She put both hands on the edge of the wood. _

"_No, baby, not now, not at the Burrows'," she muttered, then groaned as softly as she could from the contractions taking place around her groin. Not softly enough, though._

"_Eos?" A clear, sophisticated voice sounded beside her. It was Frodo. "Eos, what is it? Are you…?"_

"_Nothing's wrong, Frodo," she replied more harshly than she intended. "Nothing's wrong," she repeated with a more gentle tone. "I just tripped, that's all…" She gasped as a great contraction of muscle went through her, sending a stab of pain through her abdomen. _

"_Just tripped? Just tripped, my foot!" Frodo took Eos by the shoulders and turned her to face him. His eyes went to the blood on the front of her light summer skirt. "I heard you muttering to your baby. If you're not about to give birth, my name's not Baggins." _

"_Frodo, no –"_

"_BERYLLA!" Frodo hollered, gripping her by the shoulders and arm. "Pippin! Get over here right now!"_

"_Berylla, no, I can't have it now…" Eos protested weakly, as Berylla took her other arm. _

"_Nonsense, Eos," said Pippin, "Just look at you!" _

"_Eos, you wench, what are you doing?" Olo shouted from his nearby circle of drunken friends. "You messin' with other men, you?"_

"_Sir!" Berylla was shaking from anger. "Your wife is not in the state to 'mess' with other men now, since she is about to give birth to your child!"_

"_Man, if you have any respect for her, you will go with her to your smial and stay with her until your child comes," said Frodo quietly._

"_And you, Mad Baggins, what do you know of a man and his wife?" Olo turned on him. "You ain't even married yourself. Hah!" He jabbed a finger in his face. "You may be bedding my wife for all I know. Why should I go if the baby mayen't even be mine?" He went back to the barrel of ale. "Just come back and tell me if the bastard's a man child."_

"_That man is crazy," Pippin spat, "An arrogant ass!"_

"_We haven't the time to condemn him now, Pip," Frodo urged him. "You and Berylla have to help me get her back, before the baby tumbles out onto the Burrows' back yard."_

_The four of them struggled back to the Bracegirdle smial. Berylla helped Eos onto the bed, and rushed for the midwife with Pippin. Frodo sat beside her and held her hand. He caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. Eos turned her face to brush her lips against them. She nudged his hand with her nose to kiss his palm, and held it against her cheek. _

"_Stay with me until the baby comes," she whispered._

"_I can't do that, Eos," said Frodo._

"_Why? My husband's not here."_

"_But he'll know I've been with you. I don't want him to hurt you for that."_

_Eos looked up at him in shock. How did he know - ?_

"_What do you mean?" she said._

"_Olo doesn't treat you the best, does he?" Frodo's blue eyes seemed to pierce her heart and soul._

"_But he doesn't – Olo doesn't treat me the best, but he won't – hurt me…" From the look in Frodo's eyes, he knew she was lying. Dammit._

_They both heard the door open and voices in the foyer. Frodo turned back to Eos. "I must go," he said, despite her soft protests. "Mayhap someday you'll tell me the truth," he added quietly. He leaned over slowly and kissed her cheek chastely but lovingly. He lingered there for a few moments, and Eos knew he truly did not wish to leave her. This was all he dared to do. Frodo left. _

_Mayhap someday you'll tell me the truth. _Frodo had been right. She had just poured out everything the previous night. It had been good of him to not mention that last incident last night. Eos didn't think she would have borne it.

Eos sat up and gazed at Frodo. She felt daring at the moment. She reached her hand out to touch his cheek. A month ago, she would not have dared…

Frodo's eyes flew open as her fingers brushed against his cheekbone. She immediately recoiled. _Shrewd, Eos Took, very shrewd._ Eos hung her head.

"Eos?" Frodo leaned forward. "What were you doing? Eos, what is it?" he asked, noticing her tears. He sat on the bed and held her. "What's wrong?" He felt her shiver a little in his arms. _Ten years ago, she wouldn't have been like this, even if she were ill. Now she's quivery as a little trapped bird. _

"I was thinking…" she let out a cross between a cough and a sob. Frodo waited. "I was thinking," she began again, "about when we last spoke, when you and Pip and my sister rushed me back to my home to wait for the midwife. Do you think things would have different if I'd told you the truth?"

"I don't know, maybe. But what's done is done, Eos. You can't change anything. And right now, I think it is for the better," he said as she buried her face in his shirt front. "You're with me, and I'll get you back to your family – "

"No!" Eos flew up. "Don't tell them now! They don't understand like you do about the things I've done. I swear, they'll ship me back to that _man_ as soon as I tell them…" She faltered.

"What? What are you going to tell them?"

Eos opened her mouth, then shut it. There was something more she wanted. Frodo wrapped a coverlet around her and gathered her into his lap. "Isn't there one more reason you came to me?"

"I thought maybe you could help me," she murmured. "I need a divorce."

"What?" Frodo looked down at her in surprise. Divorces occurred in the Shire, but they were rare when they did. How on earth was he supposed to be involved in one?

"I know, it wouldn't be conventional. But it's the best thing for people like me, who can't stand their marriages. I can't stay married to him, Frodo. If I do, I will be miserable forever. And my family may understand if I need to be away from him, but they may not support me when I go for a divorce. Please," she begged. "Help me."

Frodo held her closer. Eos's dark eyes were genuinely pleading, and they touched his heart. He hated to feel pity for one who had once been so strong, but everyone was weak at sometime in their lives. _I was weak not so long ago. I had nothing but Sam's stout heart behind me. I needed him. Now, Eos needs me. _

He placed a hand under her chin and lifted it. He drew in a deep breath and kissed her lips for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime. He felt Eos's sharp intake of breath, then her submitting to his touch. Their mouths melted, and Frodo's tongue brushed across Eos's lips. The kiss grew deeper and branched into more urgent and insistent kisses. They drew their mouths apart to catch their breath.

"Why didn't you give me _that _kiss ten years ago?" Eos asked teasingly. "You were so much more coy back then."

"I didn't dare," Frodo answered. "But I can make it up to you." He kissed her mouth and moved over her cheeks, ears, and throat.

Eos pushed him back. "Frodo," she said with a hint of a whine, "you didn't answer my question."

"What, my affections didn't answer your request for you? Don't you know?" he grinned mischievously. He became graver. "Of course. I'll help you."

Eos almost burst into tears from relief. "Really? Oh, Frodo." She kissed him. "Frodo, why do go around doing all this good? And for me? You've given my Crystal a better life than any little girl in the Shire can have, and you've taken me in, and now…"

"The reason is simple, Eos." Frodo cradled her. "It is because I love you, that's why. I haven't stopped loving you for years. I've wanted to prove that to you for a long time."

"You already have. Oh, Frodo, I do love you!" Eos drew her arms out of the coverlet and wrapped them around his neck. "I ached for you every minute of my married life. Even when you were with me before Crystal was born I wished that you were able to do more than hold my hand and touch my cheek."

"Well, I can now, seeing that you're about to be free." Frodo captured her mouth with his and kissed her hungrily.

Eos pushed him back again. "We shan't kiss too much now. You don't want my cough, do you, love?"

Frodo brightened at the word "love". "Hmph! Do you think I'm afraid of a common cold when I've been through worse?" He lunged forward and kissed her roughly.

The two lovers were so immersed in each other that they did not hear Rosie open the door to give Eos her tonic. She stopped when she saw the two of them, smiled to herself and stepped outside and closed the door softly. Once she was in the hall, Rosie restrained an urge to giggle. Why, Eos would be quite alright with Mr. Baggins around!

A.N.: Sorry about this chapter being drivel, but I couldn't help myself. I had to get down to romance. Anyway, Siriusly Sirius Lily Black, did you see my response to your last review on my blog? If not, go to the homepage link on my profile.


	9. Chapter 9

A.N.: Several reviewers observed my boo-boo with chapter 8, where I duplicated it and put the same content in Chapter 9. Sorry!

Chapter 9: Hard Truths

"Crystal?" Frodo shook her arm gently to wake her. "Wake up, baby."

"It's too early," she whined. "And I'm tired."

"It's not too early, it's ten o'clock," he said, "And you won't be tired when I tell you something."

"What?" she asked, bored.

"It's a surprise," said Frodo smugly.

"What is it?" Frodo could tell she was getting excited. Crystal loved hearing the word "surprise."

"Your ma's here."

"Yeah!" Crystal literally jumped out of bed. "Ma's here? Really?"

"Yes, but – "

Crystal cut him off by running out of the room. She looked left and right for her mother. She sighted an open door at the end of the hall. The girl ran toward and into the room.

Eos was sitting up in bed, taking her tonic from Rosie. She turned and froze when she saw her daughter running toward her with a face of utmost joy.

"Mama!" the little girl cried. "You're here!" She leaped into her still-stunned mother's arms.

Frodo ran to the doorway, but stopped when he saw mother and daughter. Crystal was happy enough, but Eos wore an expression of love and joy mixed with guilt and shame. He hadn't wanted Eos to see her daughter just so soon; he knew Eos was still ashamed of herself for abandoning Crystal. Frodo didn't want her to feel the way she did now.

He cleared his throat. "Crystal, why don't you go with Rosie to breakfast? Your mama's sick, you don't want to catch cold."

Rosie led the chattering girl out to the kitchen, and left Frodo alone with Eos. Eos turned her face away from Frodo. He went to her and held her in his arms.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but she seemed to be in such a hurry…" He could not think of anymore to say.

"What did I do?" Eos whispered. "I abandoned my baby, my little girl – "

"You saved yourself first. If you didn't do that, then you would not have done anything for Crystal. Please don't be ashamed, beloved."

The whole Took clan was fairly shocked when Frodo told them that Eos had returned. He offered to have her parents come to see her, but Eos begged to see Berylla and only Berylla first.

The middle Took daughter arrived on a January evening, brushing snow off her cloak. Crystal ran up to her almost before she stepped through the door.

"Aunt Berylla! My mama came back! You wanna see her?"

"Yes, in fact I do, Crystal," her aunt replied, kissing her cheek. "Why don't you take me to her?"

"She's that way!" Crystal began pulling her toward the bedroom, when Frodo appeared.

"Hello, Miss Berylla! Eos has been waiting for you all day."

"I thought as much. Why, she hasn't seen any of us since October! I daresay she's shaken her whole family by disappearing like that." She paused to touch Crystal's head. "And how's the young lady doing?"

"She's wonderful as ever." Frodo grinned fondly at Crystal. "She's learned to read, she's eating right, and she has friends."

"Friends?" Berylla looked down at her niece. "Who?"

"There's…" Crystal frowned and counted on her fingers. "Myrtle, Melilot, Prisca, Dora, Poppy…" She lost count, and gave up. The two adults laughed.

"Crystal-lass, why don't you take your aunty to your mother, hm? There's a good girl," said Frodo.

Berylla followed her niece to the room at the end of the hall. "Mama!" Crystal yelled. "Aunt Berylla's here!"

"Is she?" said a husky voice from inside. "Well, bring her in."

"Frodo got me a new dress today," Crystal announced to Eos, who was seated against the pillows on her bed. The little girl had climbed into her lap. "See, it's pretty and blue," she said, holding out the skirt.

"Why, Frodo's spoiling you," Eos replied, taking one of the pleats and studying it. "It's beautiful." She coughed slightly. She touched one of her daughter's curls. "It seems he's been keeping you out of the dirt while you're playing."

"No, I go in the dirt. Frodo just cleans me up after I play."

Eos nodded approvingly. "Why don't you run along now, I need to talk to your aunty."

Crystal hopped off the bed and ran out. Berylla, standing in the doorway, watched her go. Then she turned to her sister, who had lain back on the pillows and closed her eyes.

Berylla sat quietly on the bed. "Well, what have you done to yourself this time, sister?" she asked gently.

Eos opened her eyes. "You're the one to talk," she said. "We always asked you that question back when we were girls, and you went romping with boys."

"But I never followed our brothers around like you. I remember when you came back from the swim-hole soaking wet."

Eos laughed, and ended up coughing. Berylla smiled, then became grave.

"What happened all this time?" she said. "You were always the prettiest, the one everyone liked the most, the ones lads always wanted to dance with. What happened in the last ten years?"

"I guess Da thought the same, that all the lads were coming after me, so he decided to give me to his opium smoking colleague's son. I guess he wanted to keep me with one instead of many."

Berylla took her sister's hand and held it in both of her own. "Olo's in prison now, on grounds of abuse and illegal trade. Did you know about this?"

"That he was in prison for abuse, yes. I didn't know about the charge for illegal trade. The poor oaf. What did Da say when he heard about this?"

"He nearly had a heart attack. I don't think he'll ever forgive himself for making you marry the man."

"And he shouldn't. And if he sees my scars I hope he really will have a heart attack."

"Eos!" Berylla squeezed her hand. "Why do you have to talk that spiteful way? You didn't used to be like this, all bitter and mean."

"If you had a husband like mine, you'd be bitter and mean too."

"But – "

"Your husband doesn't go to the inn every night and come home and beat you with a horse whip."

"Wh – "

"And I doubt he beats your son until he is bruised all over."

"B – "

"He doesn't bed his wife's friends, does he?"

Here, Berylla paused. "Which friends?" she asked. Eos only gazed back at her. "You must tell me," she said urgently.

"If I tell you, you must be ready to believe me," said Eos.

"Just tell me!"

"The first one would be – Asphodel Fields."

Berylla dropped Eos's hand. "That's not fair!" she exclaimed. "You are taking advantage of my trust."

"What would I tell you other than the truth?"

"That can't be true, not Asphodel! Del would never…" She stood up and paced across the room. "Not married men," she protested weakly. "Del only likes to sleep with bachelors."

"If you keep that mind set your turn will come next," said Eos dully. Berylla opened her mouth in rebuttal, but Eos wasn't finished. "I thought like you did before I walked in on the two." She turned away, to stare out the window. "I think it happened in part because Asphodel was seductive, and partly Olo was in the mood for any woman other than his wife. I suppose the latter gave Asphodel a greater advantage to strike." She reached inside the collar of her nightgown, and pulled out the nightingale pendant. "If you still don't believe me, I've got the scar to show for it."

Berylla turned back to her sister. "What happened when you caught Olo and Asphodel together?" she asked softly, all distrust gone from her voice.

"I shouted Asphodel's name, and Olo saw me and got angry. He got up from the bed and threw me into the nursery, and that's how I got this." Eos fingered the cut on the side of her forehead. After many, years, it was still distinct.

Berylla sat down heavily. She held her sister's hand to her cheek. "Why didn't you come to me, then?"

"I was too scared and too crazy. I went insane, you know. That's why I ran away. I know it's crazy that I went without Crystal, but if I took her with me, she wouldn't be literate now, would she?"

"Well, you look like you've been crazy. Your hair's a mess," teased Berylla. She took a comb out of her pocket.

"Why do you walk around with a comb in your pocket?"

"You know how my hair isn't as obedient as yours. D'you remember how it got caught in one of your hair ribbons when we were girls? I always have to stop and tame it every so often." She set to work on combing Eos's hair. "Everybody always wanted your hair. It's so thick and dark."

When she was finished, she took her sister into her arms. "I love you, Eos," she said.

"I love you, Berylla."

Berylla noticed her fingering her nightingale. "Ma gave that to you when you were born," she mused.

Eos nodded. "When I was scared, I used to try to use this to call up a nightingale, so that it could sing to me and calm me down."

"Did it ever come?"

"No, not while I was with Olo. I've been looking for it all my life."

"Do you think you've found it now?"

Eos paused. Deep blue eyes, like two oceans, and a head of dark curls came to mind.

"Maybe," she replied.


	10. Breaking Away

Chapter 10: Breaking Away

Eos did not leave the Cottons for another week, since everyone had decided that she would not be moved until she was well again.

However, when she finally did recover, Frodo was grudging. He hated himself for it, but he wished Eos could stay with him for longer. He wanted her to be there for him to kiss and murmur endearments to every morning and every night. He wanted to hold her and sooth her nerves so that she needn't fear memories of her married life.

Berylla was coming with Pippin and a horse and cart to take Eos to the Great Smials. Rosie had been running around all day gathering things together for Eos to take with her. Frodo hated all the signs that said his love was leaving.

Crystal clearly felt the same way he did. She pouted and sulked all day, and further showed her displeasure by stomping on a pile of her books. She refused to lighten up when Frodo told her she might go to live with her mother again.

"Your mother is _divorcing _your father," he explained. "That means she isn't going to be married to him anymore. When she isn't married to him, you might go and live with her again."

"Where are all my books going to go?"

"You'll take them with you when you go to your mother."

"But then I won't see you," she whined, and stalked away.

Frodo sighed. _Sorry, baby, we can't have everything._ He retired to the main room with a book. He couldn't concentrate on it, though.

"Frodo?" Eos appeared in the doorway. "The cart is coming down the road."

He looked up. "Oh, really." He plastered his eyes to his book again.

"Well?" Eos came and knelt by his chair. "Aren't you going to at least say goodbye?"

He put down the book. It was no use. Frodo reached out and touched Eos's cheek. "Do you think I want to?" he asked softly. Her skin was so soft and smooth…

"Oh, Frodo." Eos held his hand against her cheek. "We're not parting forever. You promised to help me with my divorce, so we have to see each other."

"Yes, to prepare the papers and whatnot. Then I'll have to relinquish custody of Crystal."

"She'll be in my custody, but she should stay with you until I get myself together again. That is, getting everyone used to me again, and getting my shop back in business. You've been more a parent to her than Olo or me ever were."

Eos eased into Frodo's lap and held his face in her hands. She kissed his lips deeply, silently thanking him. Frodo could not resist her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and felt himself hardening. He moved down to scatter feathery kisses on her chin and neck. He wanted her so _bad_. Frodo reached down and found her ankle. He slid his hand up her leg, up, up, and up, to her calf, under her heavy winter skirt, to her knee, her white thigh, her lacy undergarment…

Eos moaned but pulled his hand away. "Not here, not now," she muttered raggedly.

"I just wanted to touch you," Frodo said into her neck.

"I wanted you to do that also," she replied, "But I have to go now, I hear Pip and Bell at the door."

Frodo heard voices too. They shared a lingering kiss one more time, and Frodo led Eos to the foyer, where he took her (new) cloak and wrapped it around her. "Keep warm," he said, awkwardly.

"I'll try," Eos said, not seeming to notice the randomness of his statement. "Oh, and Frodo, come to Berylla's smial, where I'm staying, anytime next week if it's after five. That's when I close my stall."

"Of course." Frodo kissed her cheek. Berylla and Pippin came in to take her to the cart.

Five minutes later, when Eos looked back at the Cottons' hole, Frodo's silhouette was still at the door, watching her go.

Two days later, Frodo was looking for Olo Bracegirdle's prison cell. The guard, cheery Sigismond Boffin, was helping him through the maze of bars, stone walls, and hay-covered floors.

"How did a person with a disposition such as yours end up in this profession, Sigismond?" Frodo asked, looking at the haggard ruffians in one cell. "Does it ever make you miserable?"

"Aye, sometimes, Mr. Baggins, but there's got to be someone to keep the convicts in, ain't there?" The guard turned to him. "Was there something you wanted to suggest?"

"Yes, there actually is. Keep the place clean."

"Aye, sir, that we will. Here, Mr. Baggins, right here."

There was Olo Bracegirdle, sitting with his head bent in his cell, which was very small and damp smelling. It could only fit a bed, a bench, and a chamber pot. Sigismond rapped on the bars.

"Oy, Barcegirdle! It's Mr. Baggins come to see you."

Olo looked up. A look of deepest loathing crossed his face. "Mad Baggins? Tell him to get his arse out of this place! Why should I see him when he's shamed me?"

"The Deputy Mayor's got important news for you, that's why. Now do cooperate, or I'll give an extra hour of exercise period tomorrow." The guard unlocked the door and admitted Frodo inside. Frodo felt the door clang behind him and shivered.

Olo glared at him. "What d'you want, Deputy Mayor?" he sneered.

"I just want to tell you that your wife has returned to the Shire, that is all, Mr. Bracegirdle."

Olo's eyes widened. "Eos? That wench of my wife? Where'd she run off to?"

"She went to Bree, apparently to recover her sanity, Mr. Bracegirdle."

"Sanity? That little chit is a liar! She probably spent her time whoring all the Big Folk in Bree!"

Frodo fought an expression of distaste. "Evidence proves otherwise, sir. But that is past the point, for I have not come to accuse you. I must tell you that your wife is moving for a divorce, and you will be asked to sign some papers…"

"Papers? I won't sign no papers! I was never spoken to about any divorce!"

"My apologies," said Frodo sincerely but coldly. "The law states that if one spouse is dissatisfied with the marriage, the other must cooperate."

"You…" Olo could barely speak from anger. "You took my daughter away from me! You made the complaint! And you've probably bedded my wife about, what, ten times? You will pay for leaving my life in ruins, Baggins, I swear!"

_I would not make an oath so fast if I knew how far your wife has come_, thought Frodo. But he said nothing. He left the cell, leaving Olo shouting obscene curses from behind.

What did he care about Olo's threat? He was going to see Eos this afternoon!

"Can I go see Ma too?" Crystal whined.

"No, sorry, Crystal," said Frodo. "Even if you go you won't be able to spend a lot of time with her. Your ma and I are going to be talking to each other very much, so we'll be busy."

"Oh, are you going to be talking about _divorcing_?"

Frodo smiled. _Clever girl_. "Yes, we are. So be a good girl until I come back."

"When will you come back?"

"After supper. Your mother and I have lots of talking to do."

"That's a long time," pouted Crystal.

"Well, baby, when you get older you'll see what a long time really is." Frodo put on his cloak with the mallorn leaf broach. Memories of Lothlorien came back to him for a moment. Then he noted Crystal's stick of malt candy, which she was sucking on.

"Don't eat too much malt candy, Crystal, you'll spoil your afternoon tea."

Crystal pouted at him again. Frodo laughed, and pulled the little girl close. "Rosie's going to be frying potatoes. You don't want to be full before that, do you?"

The girl brightened. "Will you be back for reading time?"

"Yes, I'll be back for reading time." He kissed the top of her head and she marched off to her room with a book under her arm.

When Frodo arrived at Berylla's smial, Eos opened the door. Upon seeing Frodo, she threw her arms around him and kissed him soundly. "What took you so long? It's not very long to walk from Bag End to the Smials."

"Your daughter was begging to me to bring her along. She wanted to see you very much, Eos." Frodo put his arms around her waist.

Eos hung her head remorsefully. "I know I should be spending more time with Crystal, Frodo, but I can't get over her face when she saw me. She looked so happy, she didn't know I'd abandoned her. I can't stand to think how she will be when she finds out."

"There will be a time to tell her," said Frodo. "But now is not the time to regret. Soon, you will no longer be Mrs. Bracegirdle, but in order for that to happen, you must work with me, and get those thoughts out of your mind."

They went to the kitchen together. Frodo stood behind Eos as she prepared their luncheon.

"I went to see Olo today to tell him about the divorce. He wasn't too happy, to say the least."

"I'm not surprised. Olo always was possessive of his women, even if he wasn't married to them. He'd even beat his whores if they even looked at other men." Eos chuckled. "At least those women kept him away from me a while. He'd only go to bed with me if he had no other women for the night." Her grin slowly faded. "Poor, wretched Olo. One feels almost sorry for him. Imagine taking pleasure in nothing but drink, smoke, and women."

Frodo came up behind her and put his arms around her. "My dear Eos. Surviving ten years of all that and still able to pull yourself together," he marveled. His face became pensive, and he rested his head on Eos's shoulder. "Me, I went on a journey for just thirteen months, and I can't seem to find a way out of the pain." Eos looked at him, surprised.

"I know I don't look it, Eos, while I'm with Crystal and playing and reading with her and all. But when I'm alone at night, in the dark, I become so afraid of the shadows. I've been in the dark quite a bit on the Quest, and all that time, I had to be aware of things lurking in the night. I just get so afraid that in a forgotten corner of the room, there was a hole through which some creature could get in. And yet I didn't want to light a candle just in case, because somewhere along the way on my journey… something happened that made me nervous around fire. All these little fears that I never had before have rubbed off on me. The only way I can escape from them is… is to think about being with you, to imagine being in bed with you and holding you close to me." Here Frodo and Eos both blushed slightly. Eos put her hands over his, and turned her head to bury her face in his sweet-smelling curls.

Frodo had thought of being in bed with her. Eos felt her thighs twitch. That was just what she had wanted for a while. One of her hands reached up to encircle his chin and cheek. "Have you told anyone else all this yet?" she asked, deciding to hold off the subject for now.

"No. You're the first one I've talked to about the Quest in that way."

"In that case, I'm quite flattered." Eos turned in his arms to face him. "If you'd told me earlier, maybe I would have done _something_ about it." She pushed the hint by kissing him deeply, nudging her tongue between his lips.

"You'd better not let that bread burn," Frodo muttered against her mouth.

"Good idea," Eos replied and went on with her task, still moving around in her lover's arms. When she had finished with her task, they went to the large sitting room, hand in hand. There, they pored over the huge law books Frodo had brought with him as they ate. Meanwhile, Frodo wrote down a few notes as they worked.

Surprisingly, Eos still was as good a cook as ever. "Women can't afford to forget anything," she teased Frodo when he noted this. "I once hated cooking, you know. But after living a hand to mouth existence in Bree, coming back to the kitchen was like coming home again. I could make the food as bad as I wanted or as good as possible." She smiled to herself. "You see, coming home was the first time I had control over my life in years. Before, everything was planned for me in my cradle and I was persuaded to think that all of my parents' plans were the right thing for me. Maybe, when this mess is all over, my family will give me what I want." Eos looked up at Frodo. He was picking up his pen to jot down some more notes.

"You aren't going to use that in the documents, are you?" she asked, cocking her head.

"No, I'm not. But I was listening." Frodo reached out to grasp her hand. " And perhaps this divorce will show the whole clan something. To leave one's spouse is one thing, but to end the marriage all together is quite another. A divorce is no small thing in the Shire."

"I've heard that a million and one times now. And mostly it comes from my father."

"I thought he'd already owned up to his mistake."

"That he has. I just think he can't stand having a match he'd spent years arranging fall apart all of a sudden."

"I think so too. Poor Uncle Adelard. This may not be what you want to hear, but I really do think he thought the marriage was the best for you and the family's relations."

"Well then, maybe he should have known the Bracegirdles better before acting." Eos stood up to clear the plates. "Being hasty has already ruined a handful of lives, including that of my daughter."

"You don't sound very forgiving toward your father," Frodo quietly observed.

"You're beginning to sound like my sisters," Eos returned.

"Really? So you generally are unforgiving," said Frodo, slightly amused.

Eos went to him and held his face in her hands. "I don't mean to be that way, Frodo. I'm sorry if I seem awful to you. I want people to know what I need, that's all."

Frodo pulled her into his lap. "No matter how you are, I could never think you are awful. I fear I can never stop loving you no matter what." He kissed her gently. "You know I love you, don't you?"

Eos thought for a moment, then said, "I'm afraid not. I don't think I'll be quite sure until you love me – properly."

Frodo's eyes widened. "You don't mean – " Eos silenced him with a kiss that was the polar opposite of chaste.

Frodo broke the kiss, panting. He did his best to hold back the love-crazed creature in his lap. "Eos – " Eos dove for his neck, covering it with licks and nips. "Eos, the ink on your divorce is far from dry! Are you sure?"

Eos picked at one of his shirt buttons. "It's what you want, isn't it? Not two hours ago, you said that at night you imagined what it would be like. Anyway, if we go ahead, I can take my revenge on Olo, you can have a nighttime memory, and we both won't be stuck stealing kisses here and there."

Frodo expected her to dive at him again, but she didn't. She just curled up in his lap and snuggled closer to his chest. He sighed. She was _beautiful_, wild or gentle.

She shifted her head to kiss his neck and nuzzle it softly. She felt him hardening against her skirts and laughed nervously. He was groaning in the effort to control his desire, for Eos had him in her grip. His hands went to her bodice fastenings and slowly undid them. He then unbuttoned her blouse and shift and slipped them off her shoulders, leaving her breasts bared. They were not large, but full and round. Frodo took hold of one and slowly stroked the nipple with his thumb, causing it to harden. His hand moved to the other one, exploring it in the same manner. Eos moaned and ripped off his jacket and waistcoat, chewing on one of his earlobes. She opened the buttons of his shirt until his nipples were within reach, and rubbed her hands against them. The two groaned loudly. Frodo's mouth went to her collarbone, and journeyed down until it was level with her breasts. He kissed the round silky flesh passionately and sucked and nipped at the taut brown peaks. He was just reaching under her skirts when Eos stopped him.

"Not…here," she gasped. "I'd prefer it if we went to bed where we can lie down on something soft."

"Alright," Frodo purred. He picked her up in his arms. "Just tell me where to go."

"Second to last door at the right," Eos commanded. "And don't worry about the bodice. Leave it."


	11. Of Passion and Unveiling

Chapter 11: Of Passion and Unveiling

The second to last door in the hall was already slightly ajar, so Frodo did not need to use the knob. He pushed the door open with his shoulder. He walked across the room and lay Eos on the bed.

Frodo untucked her blouse and pulled it off. As Eos watched, he unfastened her skirt and petticoat and pulled them down. She sat up suddenly.

"Wait! How could I have opened your shirt without taking the braces off? I am foolish. Hold on," she said, slipping the braces off of Frodo's shoulders, his shirt following it. He fidgeted with impatience, and she chuckled.

"Get used to delay, Mr. Baggins," she said gleefully. "I like men who can stand to wait a bit longer. There, that's better." She lay back down on the blankets and allowed Frodo to undo the other half of her shift and slip it downwards. All she was wearing now was her silk undergarment. Fingers trembling, he tugged at the waistband and pulled the garment over her plump but shapely legs.

Now with his lover completely naked, Frodo was allowed a precise exploration of her body. When Eos had first returned, she'd had about as much flesh as a twig did. Now, she was healthy again, not thin, yet nowhere close to fat. Frodo guessed it was from her prolonged inactivity and renewed diet. He also noticed many shiny white lines across her breasts, shoulders, and upper arms. He slid his hands under her back and ran them along several rougher marks. They were obviously scars from Olo's whip. His heart whispered with sadness and wonder at his lover's strength.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, stroking her belly, making her moan. He felt himself growing harder and hotter.

"Frodo?"

"Hm?"

"Your pants are too tight! Aren't you going to take them off?"

"No, later."

"Now!"

"No - !" Eos interrupted him by sitting up again and pulling him onto the bed with her. She began attacking the buttons of his trousers. She pulled them and his undergarment off and threw them on the floor. She grabbed his length and stroked it with glee. Frodo moaned loudly with growing desire. He threw her hand away and dived back on top of her. The next thing she knew, he was madly kissing every part of her face, moaning between kisses. He moved down to cover her neck with hungry kisses, each of them growing more and more urgent. Eos writhed beneath him, burying her hands in his hair. Through the sweet agony, she noticed his length was probing her between her legs.

Ah, but he was moving down to be level with her breasts. Again, he kissed and suckled them, while his hand… it was moving towards the place he'd been itching to touch for a long time. It started at her knee, moving up and up. His thumb stroked the inside of her thigh. He stroked her triangle of hair above the crevice with the backs of his fingers. He slid his long fingers under her round buttocks… and let the tip of his thumb rub against her opening.

Eos cried out softly, but stayed put. Her lover stroked her special parts, from her clitoris to her vaginal opening. She allowed two of his fingers to enter her. Frodo's mouth finished up with the last curve of her breasts, and trekked across her belly, stopping to lick her navel. He placed his hands on her knees, parting her legs, and lay on his stomach between them. While his hand was still employed with stroking her secret place, he kissed the line where her hair began.

Frodo would not be satisfied with just his hand, though. He needed to taste something more…

Eos had grown hot and wet under his care. Frodo observed this with satisfaction. He would drive her to the point he needed her at, and then he would take her. He moved his mouth to her opening, and kissed it softly. Frodo felt her gasp. He gripped her hips tightly. He scattered feathery kisses around her special place and softly nibbled on her. She let out moan after moan of desire. Soon he was deeply kissing her, as if the opening itself were a mouth. Eos was moaning and whimpering softly, as if to beg him to take her now.

_Alright then, let's do it_. Frodo came up to lie on top of her, both of them panting. They knew the goal was not yet reached. Yet Eos hesitated, shrinking away for a second.

"What is it?" Frodo asked, kissing her cheek.

"Don't take me wrong, I want this, Frodo. But – will it hurt?"

Frodo slid his arms under her. "It shouldn't. If you are willing, it should not. Are you asking me because of – your past experiences?"

"Yes, and they always hurt."

"Well, I will try not to hurt you. If I do, do tell me. I love you," he added, kissing her again.

"I love you too."

He arched his back and moved between her legs. His length dangled long and hard in the air. Their eyes locked, he thrust forward and –

He was inside her. Eos's breath caught, and she exhaled. Frodo couldn't believe it. He wanted this for the longest time, to be inside the woman he loved –

"Don't stop!" Eos demanded. She wrapped her legs around him, and he was thrusting into her again and again, faster and faster, making love to her with all the strength he could muster.

When Frodo woke up hours later, it took him a few seconds to remember where he was. He was lying on top of Eos, her legs still wound around his hips. He was pretty much stuck inside her until she woke up.

Frodo glanced at the clock on the wall. It was half past seven. Had they dozed off for that long? It wasn't surprising, though; their vigorous lovemaking had been exhausting. Frodo had been too tired to even roll off of Eos when they had both reached their shattering climaxes. Not that he could have otherwise; Eos was too tired herself to take her legs off him. Her arms were casually slung about his neck, and he could barely feel his from keeping them around Eos while they slept.

He inhaled deeply and smelled bundles of herbs tucked somewhere among the pillows. It covered up the smell of their sweat, which had dried all over the sheets.

Eos stirred when she felt him move. She opened her eyes and smiled at Frodo. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Half past seven."

"Oh!" Eos glanced at the clock. "We've skipped over at least two meals!" She unwound her legs, allowing Frodo to roll onto his back in a daze.

"We've been sleeping four hours at least!" Eos exclaimed. "Anyway, I'll do something to make it up. Sorry about that, Frodo. I guess you didn't plan on making love to me while you were here."

"I didn't, but don't apologize. It's one of the best things that have happened to me in a while." Frodo sat up, put his arms around Eos and gave her a long, lingering kiss. Eos gently pushed him away.

"We shouldn't fool around now. I can let you stay a little longer and give you a bite or two, but then you'll have to go. I don't like the thought of Crystal staying awake until dawn waiting," she said, sitting up.

"You're the one to talk. You were the one who wanted to go to bed not too long ago."

"I'm not talking about sleeping together! I'm – Oh, whatever." Eos peeled the blankets away and went to the bureau to retrieve fresh clothing. Frodo caught a glimpse of the whip weals on her back as she slid on a pair of bloomers and a robe. He sighed and pulled on his drawers and breeches. He was reaching for his shirt when Eos touched his left shoulder, where his Nazgûl wound was. Frodo gasped. No one had ever touched him in that spot since the elves had healed him in Rivendell.

"What is that, Frodo? It's an ugly cut," said Eos sitting beside him.

Frodo turned away. "It's no ordinary cut," he replied. "I received from a blade while I was traveling." He glanced at the scar, and directed his gaze to somewhere else. He hated looking at that wound, all puckered like a wrinkled mouth.

Eos observed this. _So much I do not know_, she thought. _He made me tell him of all my sufferings, and yet he has never told me his._ She closed her hand over the wound. Frodo's eyes became a sharp turquoise when he was shocked. They now both widened and turned turquoise.

He watched in growing anxiety as she moved her hand up his shoulder to his neck, looking for any other hidden defects. _Please don't let her see the spider's work, Eru, don't make her see that!_ Eos's hand moved behind his neck, and sensed the rough line of the scar. Frodo tensed. She brought her legs onto the bed and moved behind him. She pushed some of his curls away and carefully stroked the back of his neck, pausing to touch the scar. "And this?" she asked.

Frodo swallowed hard. "A spider's stinger," he managed to force out. And he felt his beloved's hand moving down his back, touching the cuts from orc whips.

"From a whip?"

Frodo nodded slowly. She touched the whip weal on his side. "While we were making love, I noticed these, but I made no comment at the time." She moved down his arms, to his hands. She saw the right hand, with a mere stub of what used to be his middle finger. She picked it up and inspected it. "Seems like someone bit it off."

"That's correct," Frodo muttered.

"I never noticed this before tonight. It made me wonder about you."

"Maybe we shouldn't have been so eager to get in bed," said Frodo bitterly.

"Why are you ashamed? You touched all of my scars, and I didn't flinch once! There is something you aren't telling me! How long will you carry all this around without telling anyone, before it all erupts inside you?" Eos dropped his maimed hand and grabbed his shoulders.

Seeing Frodo's hurt face made her soften her tone. "You needn't tell me today. But you must tell someone, perhaps not me." She put her arms around Frodo's bare shoulders. Eos knew that she unshielded him, leaving him with nothing to guard his past. And she had to know all there was to the man she loved madly!

"You're the one I want to tell," Frodo whispered. "You're the one I should tell, because I love you and you deserve that knowledge. It's just hard to go back to all that, that's all."

"I know, darling, I can tell." Eos gave him his shirt. She kissed his neck and left for the kitchen.

Frodo just sat there for a bit, feeling stunned. Eos had taken away all his defenses, leaving him vulnerable with her. Even though they loved each other so, he never thought someone could ever penetrate him that way without his protests. While she touched his battle scars, she had triggered a rush of love and guilt inside. Frodo suddenly wished she were back in here, holding him in her arms, kissing him, so that he could spew everything out…

"Frodo! I have some food ready!" Eos called from the kitchen. Frodo hurriedly pulled on the shirt, buttoned it, tucked it in and pulled his bracers on. He followed the scent of food to the kitchen, where Eos was. She'd folded his vest and coat over a chair and her bodice over another.

"I didn't want to take care of the bodice right away," she said. "I thought I'd just wait until my sister comes home."

"Where is she now?"

"Out hunting for work. Her husband Rudigar Goodbody owned mills too, and she worked in them. They lost practically everything when Sharkey pulled them down." Eos shook her head. "I'm glad I was away when that all happened. Especially when I think I may have had to entertain some of those brutes for Olo. I put stew on the table, Frodo. Try it."

Frodo sat down in front of the bowl of carrots, beef, and mushrooms in tomato paste and swallowed a few spoonfuls of it. Not surprisingly, it was wonderful. Eos sat down beside him.

"Berylla has a good heart," she said. "She never competes with anyone, never complains. Or at least, she tries," she added with a smile. "She lifts the spirits of the ones who grieve the most, and she'll listen to anyone's suffering. I just wish she wouldn't give in to people so much. And over the years, I've learned that the people she liked weren't always likeable." She scooped into her own stew. "I didn't like our friend Asphodel very much, but I decided to trust her, since Berylla trusted her. I gave her respect, so I thought she gave it to me until, well, you know…" She touched her forehead. "I couldn't believe my sister would make those sort of friends. But she kept on doing whatever Miss Fields told her, so I kept my tongue. I tell you, Frodo, Asphodel has tried to seduce Rudigar as well. She didn't succeed… all because Rudigar is a good man, like his name."

Frodo put his hand on her cheek. Eos pressed her face into it. He scooted up beside her to embrace her. "How do you always manage to make everything sound better than it actually is? You and your stubbornness!"

"It's the best way for me, to make a joke out of everything. Like life was always good. But I guess everyone's got to have their bad point in life. I've just risen out of my bad point because of you." She looked up at Frodo glowingly. "Once, years ago, I thought of running away to you bringing Crystal with me so that Olo wouldn't touch me. But I didn't want to be called a whore, nor you a seducer. I already loved you too much."

"I wouldn't have cared if they called me a seducer. I would have taken you in if you were being abused. Eos, I am not that kind that worries about reputation. For now, having someone to love is enough."

They spent a while kissing, then returned to their stew while holding hands, then went back to their kissing again. The only addition to their caresses this time was little nibbles on the lips and neck and subtle tongue flicks. Both were careful not to go too far, lest one of them ripped open the other's clothing again.

"Frodo?" Eos said huskily as he laid feather light kisses on her neck. "Frodo, you should go now."

Frodo sniffed disappointedly. "I don't want to leave you," he murmured into her neck. "But I have to."

"I love you, Frodo and I don't want you to leave either, but Crystal is a child and a slightly bigger obligation." She stroked his head of chestnut curls. "I remember from my stay that you read to her every night without fail."

"Yes, yes, I know. I just wish you could be there, though." Frodo pulled back and touched her cheek. "The girl misses you, you know. Despite everything, you're still her mother. You shouldn't be ashamed to see her."

"Bring her here in three days. She can stay around while we work. It'll mean no going to bed, though." Eos stood up, looking at Frodo regretfully.

Frodo stood up to help her with the bowls. "That can wait. I'd rather have her see you."

They made the trip to the door as slow as possible, sharing longing kisses on the way. The couple exchanged one last lingering kiss before Frodo donned his cloak and left.

Later, Berylla would come home to find Eos soaking in a hot bath that smelled of fragrant soap, smiling from remembrance of the events that had passed that evening.

Frodo was not the same hobbit when he returned to the Cottons'. He found Crystal curled up in the armchair with a book just the same as every other night, but it felt different this time. Even as they went through the same evening ritual, he couldn't keep the thought from running through his head: _I'm in love with your mother, little girl, I made love to her tonight. If I don't know that I love her, I don't know anything._

A.N.: My first graphic chapter, so it looks like crap to me. So, does any one of my reviewers have any idea about how much time should pass, in terms of let's say, chapters, until Eos is finally divorced? If so, review me. If not, review anyway.  


	12. The Wait Two of Them

Chapter 12: The Wait (Two of Them)

"Eos, you clearly aren't yourself. You are much too dreamy," Berylla remarked while brushing her sister's hair. They were both sitting on Eos's bed and getting ready to turn in.

"I was always dreamy when we were girls, Bear," Eos retorted.

"When we were _girls_, Eos! We all were dreamy. You're a woman now."

"We can all have our childish times, Bear, don't fret." Eos turned around to brush Berylla's hair.

Berylla leaned back into her little sister's hands. "Didn't you all used to call me 'Bear'?"

"I believe so."

"We used to come up with all sorts of nicknames for people, remember? Tanta Boffin was 'Tatty'."

"And Pansy was 'Boiling Pan' – "

"And Rosie Cotton was 'Resin' – "

"'Resin'?"

"Tree sap, remember?"

"Oh…"

They laughed for a while, then Berylla abruptly turned back to Eos. "What happened when Frodo Baggins was here?"

"Why should you ask?" replied Eos, trying not to blush.

"You've been acting odd ever since he came. Something happened while he was here."

"How do you know that I'm acting odd because of him?"

"I'm your sister, and I've known you since the day you came into the world screaming. Admit it."

"Just because you're my sister doesn't mean you know."

"Come on, Eos, tell me."

Eos shrugged.

"I didn't say shrug at me, I said tell me!"

There was a long pause and a deep intake of breath. "Promise you won't lash out at me?"

"Well… yes, I promise."

"All right. Frodo came to the smial, and I prepared luncheon. We worked on my divorce for a while, and we just happened to talk about what had happened to me and how I felt about it. I didn't want to talk about it anymore, and before I knew it I was in his lap, and we were kissing like mad beasts. I guess what happened next was partly my fault, but… we made love in here."

"WHAT!"

"I knew you would be that way."

"B-but – you – and him – you actually – ?"

Berylla stared at her sister. Eos looked back at her blankly. The older woman tried again. "You really let him in? You made love to him? Have you no shame? Have you ever thought of the consequences – what if he got you with child?"

"We considered the consequences, since I'm not divorced yet. But he does love me, Berylla, and I love him, so there was no shame in it."

"Hasn't our Ma told us enough times? Many men who get you with child will run away from you if they find out."

"I know Frodo wouldn't do that. He wouldn't. If he was that kind of man, he wouldn't have held out all those years I was married."

"I suppose so. But what's done is done, we can't help it now." Berylla held Eos's hand. "I suppose I can accept that you and Frodo Baggins are really having a love affair. But do keep your mouth shut around Ma and Celandine. Especially Pa, too. He's upset about this Bracegirdle business, but I don't think he would take this well."

"I was thinking the same thing too. I'll keep quiet. And if they ever ask about my odd behavior, give them an excuse, will you?"

That same moment, Frodo was tucking Crystal in. He was just pulling the blankets around her when a question popped up.

"Did you ever marry?"

"No, I never did."

"I thought everyone married when they grew up."

"Most of the time people do. But some, like my uncle Bilbo and I, prefer not to."

"Why?"

"It could be because one never finds another that he truly loves. Or it can be because one likes to be alone most of the time."

"Then why did Ma marry my Da? She didn't love him, right?"

"No, she didn't, but your grandparents wanted her to."

"Why?"

"They thought it was right. They loved your mother very much."

"Don't you love my Ma?"

Frodo laughed softly, but did not answer right away. "Yes, I do."

"Then why didn't you marry Ma?"

"Because your Da married her first, silly! You ask too many questions! You should go to sleep now, poppet." He kissed her and blew out the candle. As he closed the door behind him, he wondered, _How does she know everything somehow?_

When in his room, Frodo changed into his nightshirt and wished Eos was there to slide her gentle hands under it to reach him. He slid under the covers and wished Eos was waiting for him there. He lay his head on the down pillows and wished that his lover would lean over and give him the sweetest of kisses, while her bare skin slid across his. He blew out the candle, and wished her low, melodic voice would sound in his ear, telling him that everything would be alright, and that the shadows would not hurt him anymore.

"_Romen, andúnê._"

"What was that, Crystal?" Frodo had brought Crystal to his workplace for the day. She was perched on his lap while he pored over his work.

"But doesn't that mean, 'sunrise, sunset'?"

"It does, but how did you figure that out?"

"You told me that was what it meant in the elvish song you like to sing. See?" She got down from his lap and started singing it, clapping her hands to the rhythm.

"_Romen, andúnê_

_Romen, andúnê_

_Lintime sira loar. _

_I tuilë khila lossë_

_Ar lanta laire _

_Mí cul lassi yávieva._

_Romen, andúnê_

_Romen, andúnê_

_Melmet balë-y hyn rér!_

_Quantar a lalaith_

_Ar nainiër_

_An er ré tula_

_Ve tulmet Mithlond…"_

"I forget the rest of it," Crystal said.

"Two verses is plenty for a little girl! I'm surprised you remembered beyond the chorus!" Frodo drew her close and kissed her. "One day I'll sing it all for you, but now Frodo has to work, alright? Good girl."

She sat in front of his desk and sucked on a sweet over a picture book. Frodo's heart lifted as he worked. It was so fulfilling to take care of a child. If only Eos could see her, see how bright she really was, and not be ashamed to see her. Why, the child was meant for great things beyond the Shire like him, even if she wasn't really his daughter! _If only she was my child, and that would make us…perhaps I shouldn't say._

"What person in their right mind tears down so many trees?" Sam lamented to Frodo. The Cottons had finished supper, and the two of them were seated around the fireplace, smoking on their pipes. Sam had been making his rounds all day with Galadriel's gift of soil.

"I hate it, seeing trees all black and splintered and lying on their sides. They ought not to have been burned and cut just for fuel in Sharkey's foul huts!"

"Well, come spring and we need not fret," said Frodo in a voice he had picked up from foster-parenthood: soothing but at the same time eluding. "The Lady's gift will do for you in time."

"I know that voice," Sam grinned wryly. "I think you're just using it so that your mind can wonder at the same time."

"What?"

"Didn't you go to Eos's place two days ago to go over her divorce papers?"

"Yes, why?" Frodo's pulse was quickening its pace. Did Sam know about what he and Eos did?

"You've been strangely aloof since that evening. And I haven't seen you smile during your quiet times in a long time."

"So maybe it's a good sign. I need to spend more time with her."

"I do know you love her, Mr. Frodo…" Here Sam paused.

"I will not deny that I love Eos Took. So what? Why bring that evening up?"

"Because my hobbit instincts tell me that more than divorce plans came up then."

Frodo's scalp prickled. "What do you think happened?"

"I don't know, I thought you would tell your Sam." Sam's face was not greedy like the town gossipers' faces were when they heard interesting news, nor was it mocking, like a lad smirking at his little brother for kissing a girl for the first time. He simply fixed his eyes on Frodo, waiting for an answer.

"Er… I really was working on her divorce with her…" Sam nodded with understanding. "And I guess we just happened to talk about other things, like her family's condition after Sharkey came by, and her marriage. The next thing I knew, we were kissing and touching like mad, and… I would have stopped her if I hadn't been so aroused myself… we made love, in her bedroom." Frodo gulped.

Sam sat back in his chair, as if too incredulous to speak. At length, he spoke. "I would have thought as much before this Ring business came along. But, Mr. Frodo, I wouldn't have thought you would be so wanton after you've altered so much."

"Wanton is a harsh word." Frodo, who'd been waiting for the axe to fall, was surprised at the quietness of Sam's reaction.

"Maybe it is. But – I don't understand, what happened this time round?"

"I don't know, it just happened. My wounds have changed me, as you say, but there's a part of me that hasn't changed, Sam, and that is my love for Eos. My temerity may seem abrupt, but you must understand, dear Sam. I don't want to lose her again; I can't _afford_ to lose her as I have in the past. It was always so easy for you and Rosie. You two were betrothed in your cradles; you grew up loving and playing with each other, and you are bound to marry each other sooner or later. During the Quest, she was always at home, waiting for you to come back, and you still remembered her clearly. Eos and I never were certain about our love until she was married, and our future has always been blowing in the wind. During our journey, as the Ring took hold of me, her face began to fade away, while I clutched feebly at the memory."

"Didn't you once say that you went on the Quest to forget about her?"

"That was what I had planned to do, initially. But before we found Gollum in Emyn Muil, I realized that her memory was all I had, and without it I was helpless. I loved her desperately, but there was nothing I could do."

"I do not doubt that you truly love her, Frodo. But leaping to next level so rashly bears consequences. What if you get her with child? There will be a burden on both of you, or you may end your relationship with her to avoid it."

"End my relationship with her! Why are you saying this to me? What makes you think I would ever try to do such a thing?" Frodo had leapt forward in his chair, staring at Sam wildly.

"I didn't say you would definitely leave her, I'm just reflecting on what has happened to other girls in the past. You will argue that Crystal is no trouble, and yes, she is good and obedient. But being Deputy Mayor and all, and the work you have, do you think another baby will help anything? Babies aren't as independent as little girls."

Frodo put his head in his hands. "O, Sam, I can't believe you are giving me advice instead of it being the other way round."

Sam took Frodo's hand, as he did many times in Mordor. "Only tryin' to do for you, Mr. Frodo. That's what I've done near all my life."

"You're a good friend, Sam." Frodo smiled at him. His expression became pensive again. "We'll see how things turn out. I'd rather not think about this right now. I don't want to spoil my meeting with her tomorrow."


	13. How Long Until I'm Free?

Chapter 13: How Long Until I'm Free?

"I thought both you and Rudigar were going out to work today, Bear!" Eos said, surprised.

"No, I'm staying home today. I can't always leave my boy at Celandine's, you know. Ham, no playing with balls in the house!" Her son immediately stopped bouncing the sphere. "And besides, I need to keep an eye on you when _he_ comes."

"Oh, Berylla, I won't act that way again! Don't you trust me?" Eos cried.

"I trust you, but I can't trust you _not_ to do that with him when left alone," said Berylla with a wry grin. "You know, I can keep Crystal and Ham occupied while you're with him…"

"Oh, stop!" Eos pounded her fist on the oak kitchen table. "I'll take care of everything to do with him! You don't need to watch me!"

"You needn't shout."

"You needn't tease!"

Eos drew aside the curtain on the little round window. Beside it was a vase of sprigs of holly. In fall, there was a pussy willow. In spring and summer, it contained roses or daisies. This little tradition had run in the sisters' mother's side for years. She wasn't about to let her daughters forget it.

Outside, the January sky was overcast. Harsh zephyrs rushed through the skeletal willow and oak trees that dotted the ground around the smials. Farmer Rumble, a few kilometers down the road, said that it would snow later that day. It was cold enough for that. Eos wondered if it would be too cold for Frodo to bring Crystal. Would he think the girl would catch her death?

"The fact is, Eos, I really like that you and Frodo are in love. You are, after all, meant for each other. But can't you wait until your divorce is final?"

"I suppose I must, if I can bear it. I don't think I will if the papers take too long to be approved. Frodo ought to tell me how long I'll have to wait, he's coming down the road now."

She gazed at the two figures on the cobblestone lane. Frodo was leading Crystal by the hand. He'd bundled the child up in a cloak of the richest wool, which looked charming on her. She stumbled, and Frodo swept her up in his arms and carried her the rest of the way down. That simple gesture took Eos's breath away.

"Is he, now?" Berylla came to her side and followed the direction of her eyes. "Maybe my Ham will enjoy a playmate."

"Frodo told me Crystal likes books and dolls, not ballgames."

"How would he know? He doesn't watch her all the time."

They were interrupted by the doorbell, which Berylla went to answer. Eos turned back to play around with the holly, trying to buy herself time. Her heart beat so hard against her ribs that she felt like a drum being played from the inside. She felt a shiver crawl up her spine when she heard a familiar voice at the doorway.

"Eos." _Frodo._ Her heart always felt like a kitten being petted when she heard his beautiful voice. The beautiful melodic voice that would sing songs with friends at parties in their younger days.

"Eos?" A slender hand touched her elbow. She had no choice but to turn to him. She almost swooned at the love that filled Frodo's eyes. His soft lips brushed hers gently before drawing away, smiling. "How are you?" he asked.

"I'm alright. How's Crystal? Where is she?" There was a sound of a ball bouncing in the hallway, and two little chirruping voices, joined by Berylla's eager one.

"Playing in the hall with your nephew." He put his arms around her waist and kissed her some more. Their lips moved against each other like butterfly wings in slow motion. Eos let her arms loll about his neck. "Is that holly I see in the window?" Frodo asked between kisses.

"Mm-hm, Celandine, Berylla and I all put holly in vases in winter. Well, at least I _used_ to." Eos pulled her lips away. Frodo put his forehead against hers, and they looked into each other's eyes lovingly. "I only did it in the nursery back when I still lived with Olo. The kitchen wasn't really worth the feminizing; he always had his fits in there." She kissed his lips and pressed herself to him.

"Do you want to see her? Your daughter?" he asked, his lips in her hair.

"Yes! I'll go now!" She pulled on Frodo's hand. They went out into the hallway, where they found the two children hitting little Ham's ball around. Crystal, upon seeing her mother, dropped the ball and ran to her, pressing her face between her legs. Eos knelt down and embraced the girl. Ham whined impatiently for her to rejoin the game. Crystal ran off to play.

Frodo took Eos by the elbow. "Let's go work on your case," he said gently.

They went into a drawing room and Frodo laid out his work for her. They talked quietly for a while about the divisions of Olo's property, of which Eos wanted nothing. The custody of Crystal was unspoken, for no little girl deserved to have to live with such a father. After all the work was done, the papers had to be approved by the people down in Michel Delving, and that would take a long time, according to Frodo.

Presently, Berylla came in with two mugs of tea. As she left, she cast Eos an impish smile.

"What was that about?" Frodo asked, staring after her.

"She was teasing me this morning, it's nothing," replied Eos. "Things between sisters, you know?"

Frodo was silent. He reached over and touched his love's hand. "Does she know about – _that_?" he asked.

"Well – yes. She is my sister. I trust her. Are you very angry with me?"

Frodo laughed softly. "No, of course not, darling." He held her hands in his. "If I was, it would be hypocrisy. Truth be told, I confessed our night together to Sam." They both looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

"I guess we both tend to trust, don't we?" said Eos. Frodo drew her to him and cradled her in his lap. She did not see his eyes sadden in memory of Gollum, but she sensed tension in the arms that surrounded her. Eos kissed his neck.

"I love you, Frodo Baggins. I always have, and always will. You needn't darken when speaking of us."

"I wasn't thinking of us, love. I was thinking a certain person I met during my travels…" His voice trailed off.

"Certain person? Who?" Eos demanded. Frodo laughed at the glimmer of jealousy in her eyes.

"It wasn't a woman! Don't be silly, love! You know I couldn't love anyone other than you."

"I don't know about that. I remember the troupes of girls who flirted with you back when you came of age. I was twenty-five, remember?"

"I do. But you were the prettiest one, if younger than them all."

"If you thought so, you could have approached me a long time ago, before I married my drunken oaf of a husband," scolded Eos.

"I thought you were too young then. I was a foolish boy. Oh, darling, stop it!" he cried at Eos's snigger. "How do I know that you never eyed other boys?"

"I did. But none of them knew as much about elves and dwarves and the like." She nuzzled his neck. "None of them could read beyond their own names. I liked the sophisticated one with pretty blue eyes best. His neck smells the best." She began nipping and kissing the white column softly. "If the ink on my divorce were dry, I'd shout my love for him from the hills."

Frodo sighed. "I'll do my best to hasten the process, Eos, but I cannot make promises."

"I know. I know I can bear the time, if only for you." Eos looked into his eyes gravely. "How long do you think it will be, Frodo? How long until I am free?"

Frodo gazed back at her with the same grave eyes. "Another two months at the least," he said.

They both cast down their eyes. Each knew it seemed too long for the other. "I'm sorry," whispered Frodo.

"It's alright. I can wait," said Eos. An idea came to mind. "You know, we don't have to hold our affair off. Aside from sessions like this, about the divorce, we could meet in secret somewhere, like at a small inn, or – "

Frodo shook his head. "We'd be living a lie. I wouldn't do that to you. I won't make you lie to your daughter and your family."

"Berylla knows! Sam knows! We wouldn't be hiding from them! We wouldn't have to make love, we could just talk and hold one another and tell each other everything. I need this, Frodo." Eos held him firmly by the shoulders. Frodo couldn't resist the intensity of her eyes. He put a hand to her cheek.

"If it is only to be with you, that is something I can do," he said. He leaned in and kissed her. It was a beautiful kiss. His tongue parted her lips and caressed hers, until it reached up to meet his. They clasped each other and buried their hands in each other's hair. Frodo couldn't help but stroke Eos's breast through her dress. She pushed his hand away.

"Not today, Mr. Baggins. I am not free yet. Don't forget that." And they both sat together in regretful silence.


	14. Self deception

Chapter 14: Self-Deception

Eos woke on a late February morning from a slight nauseating sensation. She sat up in bed and held on to her belly until the feeling ceased. The smial was quiet. The crickets were coming to the end of their concerto. There was the sound of bed frames creaking slightly in the other rooms. The shapes in her room were all incoherent, the effect evoking a dark labyrinth, a cozy little cave.

There was a kind of freedom to waking up on your own when the sky was still dark. Everything around you was at your disposal. You could get up and float into a waking dream in that sleepy state of mind, or you could lie back, enjoy the warmth of the bed, and keep your fantasies under the covers. Best of all, the dark seemed to insure that all your activities were secret. No one had to know about anything you did in the remnants of the night. When dawn arrived, the dark threw a veil over all those dreams, those naughty things you did. It just so happened that Eos chose to do the latter of the options above.

Eos lay back and snuggled under the covers. She stretched her legs and dreamed of her beloved Frodo. She hid her face under her blankets as a grin broke across her face. Was he still sleeping? He probably was; it was so early that the sky was the darkest possible shade of blue. Probably, when he did rise, he would go to the office in Michel Delving and immerse himself in paperwork, some of it concerning her divorce. He was such a dear, to simply pick up a complex case just for his love for her. She had fantasies of his beautiful blue eyes, filled with the eagerness to please; his silky brown curls that she could bury her hands in and wish they could stay there forever. His wonderful lips, which brought her within the sight of a gate to a world beyond.

And there was their first lovemaking. Eos wondered if it there be a next time. If there could be a next time. Eos chided herself for panicking so much. _Of course Frodo will get you a divorce! The papers are going to get approved, you worrywart! _

Their kisses when they met in private were not enough to sate their mutual hunger. Eos knew that Frodo wished to feel her skin against his as much as she did. She longed for him to caress her bare breasts with his hands and mouth. She wanted him inside her, so that she could feel his liquid seed fill her once more. With him, everything was magic. It was a slander to compare him to Olo. Eos winced at the memory.

"_Your parents are doing this right now! Why ain't you cooperatin'?"_

_Coarse fingers with yellow nails took a brown nipple and twisted it until it elicited a cry of pain. _

"_It hurts, don't it? This is what it means to be my wife!" He buried his teeth in her thigh. Eos bit her lip and closed her eyes. _

_He was always looking for new ways to find thrill, new ways to make sex a twisted thing. They always hurt her, and that was part of what he enjoyed. _

_He pressed his lips to hers, forcing his tongue between her lips. His teeth closed over her tongue. She was trapped. She would not get away without ripping her means of communication out. Down below, he forced her knees apart and straddled her. _

_Eos had never been so imprisoned in her life. She was imprisoned in mind and body. It wasn't as if this was some man who had snatched her off the streets and would leave her when he was finished. It was a nightmare she would never wake from. She was stuck with this horrible man, this man who had hardly anything in his head. A man who would use her in every way. _

_He moved above her and pushed – forced – himself inside her. It was as if he were stabbing a razor sharp knife into her groin, over, and over, and over. Eos shut her eyes to ease the pain. He was grunting over her, inside her. He made her feel so disgusting. _This is my lot, Eru? _She thought. _You meant for me to be a toy? A toy to be used in this perverted manner?

_And he was done. After lying atop her for a while, he rolled over and soon she heard his snore. She backed as far away from him as possible on the bed. She turned her back to him and cried for the only one she'd ever wanted._

Eos winced in the dark. The nauseating sensation had returned. What was it? A faraway possibility came to her. It couldn't be…

She threw away the covers and put on a robe. She got up went to sit by the round bedroom window. How long was it since she had had her bleeding? _Not since December…_ That shouldn't be… it was impossible…

Maybe she was aging prematurely. That must be it. Her mother had said that menses became irregular as a woman aged. She must be growing old because of her recently poor health. Yes, that was the reason.

Yet, the other suggestion haunted her as she got dressed.

"Frodo?" Crystal looked up from the doll she was rocking in the toy cradle.

"Hmm?"

"I wish I had a little baby sister."

Frodo cocked his head curiously. "And why is that?"

"Babies are sweet. Real pink babies. Dolls can't do anything. Babies can laugh and crawl around."

"Yes, but they also cry very loudly and break things," said Frodo. "Anyway, are you sure you wouldn't like a baby brother too?"

Crystal frowned and said, "I want a baby brother or a sister."

"'I want this, I want that,'" Frodo imitated playfully. "Where will it end?" He scooped up his tiny charge and gathered her into his lap. "Even if you wanted a baby brother or sister, sweet, how would you get one?"

The tiny girl thought hard, and replied, "If you like Ma enough maybe I could get one."

He laughed, nearly blushing from the thought. "How did you get that idea?"

Crystal was grave. "Don't you like Ma?"

"Yes, I do. I like her very much." In Frodo's mind, he scoffed at himself. _Like? As if that word does any justice! _"Does your Ma know about what you want?"

"I haven't told her."

"Do you want me to tell her?"

Crystal nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, I'm meeting your mother tonight. I'll tell her then."

"Thank you Frodo!" Crystal threw her arms around his neck and hopped off his lap, running off to her room with her toys.

Frodo sat back heavily in his chair. _I'm not sure if I can give you what you want even if I marry your Ma. My travels have weakened me so._

"You're very early home from work, Eos," said Berylla said.

"It's Celandine's day to help with laundry. Also, I'm going to meet with Frodo later, so I have to get ready."

"Huh," said Berylla, turning back to the silver she was polishing with one brow raised.

Eos fumbled with her braid and wound it into an ebony bun at the back of her head. "Polishing the bride price, hmm?" she inquired, looking over Berylla's shoulder.

"Ma told us all to polish the silver we got regularly when we married. Did you?"

"As regularly as I could. Ma would be proud of my efforts."

"When's Celandine coming?"

"Any minute now, I suppose." Eos went to the tap and rinsed her hands. She reached into her bag and produced a table cloth with a frayed edge and stuck a needle in the hem. She brought out a pincushion and put a few pins in her mouth and started pinning the hem up. The sisters worked quietly when a knock on the door came.

"Hello, Celandine," said Eos, opening the door. "Is Robin well?"

"Quite. How's your… case?"

"It's moving along. I'll get the laundry."

Eos came with the large basket of clothes. She sat down with Celandine and sorted the dark clothes from the light-colored. As they did this, the three sisters engaged in banter typical of that of the regulars at the inn.

"I heard Pansy is getting married…"

"With unemployment and whatnot still around? What a time to get married…"

"Punto Green came all the way from Dwaling to see her…"

"Oh, Eos," said Celandine suddenly, "isn't Frodo helping you with your divorce?"

"Yes, why?"

Celandine shrugged. "I just thought that it was a little strange that he would take on your case as well, seeing that you and Frodo care for each other so much."

"What's strange about that?"

"Oh, Cel, the man would do anything for her," teased Berylla.

"Be quiet!" Eos scolded mockingly. They all laughed.

"Maybe that's right. Maybe Frodo would do anything for me," said Eos musingly. "It's actually quite sweet, really."

"Eos, is it time for you to go?" asked Berylla, looking at the clock.

"Yes!" Eos folded the bloomer she was holding. She placed it in a pile and got up to put on her cloak. She patted her bun and was about to open the door when Celandine called to her again.

"Eos, I've been looking at your bloomers for the last few weeks. Have you bled yet this month?"

Eos frowned. "No…"

"That's strange. Why wouldn't you bleed an entire month?" Celandine frowned at the bloomer in her lap.

To dispel the awkward silence, Eos strode over and put her arms around her big sister. "Malnutrition, most likely. The food in Bree wasn't the most substantial, you know. I think your baby sister is getting old before her time."

Celandine gazed at her for a few moments, appeared to accept the explanation and turned back to her task. Eos kissed and embraced them both, breathing in each of their individual scents. Their smell had comforted her throughout her life.

However, Celandine's question still haunted her, despite her efforts to shake it off.

When Eos and Frodo had their intimate meetings, Frodo would enter the Green Dragon first and reserve a private parlor. Eos would wait a little while, and enter after him. This way, few would suspect their relationship.

Frodo brightened when Eos came in. He sprang up from his chair and embraced her before brushing his lips against hers. He led her to a chair, sat opposite her and held her hands.

"How is Crystal?" Eos asked as she always did.

"Splendid. You needn't ask every time, you know. She's always an angel!"

"When she reaches her teens she won't be as angelic. Mother always said that little girls became difficult at that age. I don't believe that you don't remember me." Eos brushed her nose against Frodo's and kissed him softly.

"Very spunky, but not difficult," he replied, returning the caress. "You won't believe what the girl requested today."

"What?"

Frodo leaned close to her ear. "A baby sibling."

"Oh?" Eos cocked her head at him.

Frodo decided to tell her the best part. "Yes! And you know what else she said? She told me she could get one if I _liked_ you enough. She used the word _like_!"

Usually, when Frodo told her of Crystal's newest antics or progress she would break into a broad smile or throw her head back and laugh. Eos did not laugh like he'd expected her to. She leaned back in her chair and regarded him with an – amused? skeptical? – expression. Frodo could not read it. Surely this was not so dull. "Did you not think that was amusing?" he asked, laughing confusedly.

"Well, a little," replied Eos, though with an offhand tone. Still looking at him with that strange face, she said, "But you thought it very funny?"

"Well – " Frodo groped for the right words. Eos was acting very strangely. "You wouldn't think she'd tell _me_ about these things, would you? What can I really do?"

"Perhaps she has some vague notion of what a man a woman must do to acquire a baby. If you really think about it, a man really has a part to play." Eos's brown eyes seemed to pierce him.

Frodo shrugged. "But, you see, I am too weak now. My journey did things to my body, Eos. You don't see them now, but it may show later. I went through more wear and tear than you did, hard as it is to believe…" His eyes became distant. "I've survived for days on end with no water and no food rations. And my burden… possessed me. I paid a great price for carrying it. I believe my wounds taken away my capability of having children." He held Eos's hand to his cheek. "Even if we did get married and wanted children I could not give you another child, my love."

To Frodo's relief, Eos came to herself and said, "And it is a price I would gladly pay, if only for you." She put her arms around him. "Anyway, a house with only one girl is enough. Not everyone needs a large family."

Frodo buried his face against her breast and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm glad you understand. One day, I'll tell you everything, Eos, everything. You must know it all. I feel terrible for holding everything away from you."

Eos stroked his silky brown curls. "You need only tell me when you are ready. I can wait for _this_, at least." She felt him chuckle against her chest.

He sat up to take her head in his hands. He kissed the sides of her face, and planted butterfly kisses, one by one, on her neck. He felt her purr in the back of her throat. With her hands, she urged him to come to her lips, to which he complied. They tried to control the intensity of their kiss, but their efforts proved futile. Soon, their lips and tongues were moving together in a sensuous dance. Frodo's hands moved to take hold of Eos's breasts underneath her clothing, but she pushed them away. She broke the kiss and softly reprimanded him, "I may be impatient, but I cannot always be the one with a sense of will."

Frodo looked bashful. "I'm trying," he protested, "But every time I'm with you I come so close. You complain to me of your cares and the age they inflict on you, but you know not of the beauty they give you." He held Eos's hands to his lips. "My Eos, my nightingale, my beautiful one," he murmured.

"You left out the best part," said Eos teasingly. "The part where we go together so well because you are beautiful as well. The part I first loved about you when I was a girl was your eyes. They seem too large when one first looks at them, but they are what complete you."

"I'm sorry I didn't realize what I felt for you earlier. I might have saved you ten years of abuse."

"No," replied Eos, smiling. "Somehow I sense things are best the way they turned out."


	15. Can't Deny It, Can't Pretend

Chapter 15: Can't Deny It, Can't Pretend

Berylla woke to the sound of profuse vomiting. At first, she tried to retreat back under the covers, but the sound was becoming louder and louder. She stiffened. Was there an intruder?

She slowly peeled the covers away and got to her feet. She left the room and closed the door softly behind her, so as not to wake her husband. Berylla followed the noise through the corridor. It was coming from Eos's room. She put one ear against her sister's door. Yes, this was the place. Also, with a jolt, she realized that it was already March 12. Berylla pushed the door open.

Sure enough, Eos was bent over a basin on her nightstand and, as Berylla had heard, was retching into it. She looked up with watery eyes as her sister entered. Both were silent.

At length Eos managed to stammer out, "Something in the food, Berylla, something didn't agree with me…" she trailed off to spew out another fit of vomit.

Berylla reached for a linen cloth on the nightstand and wiped her sister's face with it. She supported Eos on her feet. She took her face in her hands and turned it toward her. Berylla shook her head. "Eos, don't deny it anymore. You can't. You're with child."

Eos stared back at her with so much shock in her eyes they looked nearly blank. There was a long, terrible moment of silence. Then her legs collapsed like jelly under her and she let out a long, high-pitched scream. In panic, Berylla shushed her hurriedly and gathered her into her arms.

Eos pressed her face into her big sister's chest. "It's the twelfth of March, isn't it?" she asked tearfully. Berylla nodded reluctantly.

"I haven't bled for two months," Eos continued, "Ever since Frodo and I made love in my bed."

"And you've had morning sickness every morning as well," said Berylla. "Oh, Eos, I'm sorry."

"What can I do, Berylla? What will Frodo say?"

"I'm sure Frodo won't take it badly. You said that he would love you just the same, with child or no."

"Then I didn't understand." Eos clung to her sister. "Back then I had no idea of any consequences. And last month, I met with Frodo in the inn, and he told me about how Crystal had expressed a wish for a baby sibling. Crystal had told him that she believed that Frodo and I could have one if we – cared – enough for each other. He laughed like anything, Berylla! He treated what the girl said like a nice joke! And then he said it was impossible for him to make me have a baby because his journeys had affected him so. Frodo clearly doesn't want a baby, and doesn't think it is ever possible, Berylla! That's why I'm so frightened!"

"I'm sure he'll be pleasantly surprised when he finds out he can actually has the ability to have children…"

"No, trust me, Berylla, I know. And I know that if he knows about the baby, he'll treat me terribly, maybe even spurn me! Oh, I can't possibly tell him!"

"Don't be silly, Eos," Berylla coaxed. "You can't keep it a secret. How long can you hide it? I'll not let you go on alone with this."

"I'll go to one of the healers… I heard there's one who can do abortions…"

"Now, Eos," Berylla crooned to calm her. "I think you should wait a bit before deciding on an abortion. I think you've had quite enough for the morning. Go back to bed and have some more sleep. Maybe you'll reconsider how to handle this matter."

She guided the poor woman to her bed and pulled the quilts over her. She stroked her head until her little sister fell asleep, sniffing every once in a while. Berylla bent down to kiss her ebony head, and left.

Eos woke from her cocoon of blankets. In a few minutes, realization of what had happened to her and the daunting reality came down over her like a dark pall.

When Frodo had told her he was unable to have children, she had felt a mix of relief and disappointment. She had really wanted to have his baby, but this was the wrong time, if anything. She had wanted to give Frodo the gift of children, but without shocking him. How she wished she was already married to the love of her life, bearing his _legitimate _child, and not his bastard! And if Frodo knew that she was bearing a baby, would he leave her alone to bear the shame?

Eos shuddered with fear as she remembered Gilly Rumble. She had gotten in trouble with a hobbit-lad in the Proudfoot clan, who married someone else after she broke the news to him. She had had no choice but to leave her home and relocate to some remote part of the Shire. No one had heard of her ever since.

Eos laid face-up in bed, staring at the crack in the plastered ceiling. In her head, she made her resolve. She would go to work as usual, but close a little early. Then she would go up to the Cottons' and tell Frodo of her pregnancy. She _would_ tell him. If it didn't work out well, she would go to her healer friend, Tanta, and ask for an abortion. Or perhaps she would keep the child, and… Oh, there was no point in considering now. Everything depended on Frodo when she met him.

Eos started to weep softly again. That would perhaps be the last time she saw him. Him, Frodo, the one man who truly loved her. Perhaps, soon to be a man who could not look at her again?

"Eos!" Rosie stepped back a little from the doorway. Eos didn't usually come to the Cottons' to meet Frodo. "This is a pleasant surprise!"

Eos held her friend's hands and looked earnestly into her eyes. "Where is Frodo, Rosie? I need to see him." At Rosie's inquiring look, she said, "This is very urgent, Rosie. I have to see him _now_."

Rosie was taken aback by Eos's strange manner, but led her to the humble living room. When she left her sitting on the small couch, she looked back. Her friend was sitting up straight, stiff as steel, hands clasped tightly together and eyes staring blankly before her. Rosie frowned, but simply went to fetch Frodo.

To Eos, the wait seemed like eternity. It was like waiting for her turn to be hanged. She wondered if she should simply leave and avoid running any risks. _No! _she thought. _I'm Eos Took, and Eos Took does not run away from risks. _And yet, her joints were weak and her palms sweated.

"Eos?" Frodo's beautiful and gentle voice grabbed her heart and held a death grip on it. Eos thought she would choke.

"Eos, Rosie said you wanted to see me, urgently." He sat down beside her. She stiffened and forced her mouth into a faint smile.

"Yes, uh… I did. Just… just let me collect my thoughts first." She made a wish for her palms to stop sweating.

"I'll let you do that, certainly," he said. Seeming to sense her tension, he took one of her hands and held it to his lips and kissed its knuckles. Looking up, he saw that her face was averted from him. Frodo felt as a toddler does when ignored by his mother. In an endeavor for Eos's affection, he cradled the back of her head and turned it to face him. He kissed her, the tip of his tongue tentatively touching her lips. When she did not respond, he went on to shower his affection on the side of her face, her jaw, and her throat.

"Frodo…" Eos hesitantly began.

"Hmm?" Frodo looked up at her eagerly, relieved for the attention.

"What would you do if you found out I was carrying your baby?"

"What…?"

"I mean, what would you do? Would you leave me?"

Frodo laughed. "Leave you? Do you think me a fool? Why – "

"No, be serious Frodo," said Eos firmly. "Think about it. What would you do?"

"Eos, it's not as if we're really going to have a child. Didn't you hear me last month?" Frodo had pulled back from Eos, staring at her.

"When I asked you the question, I used the word 'if'. What _if _I was with child? It's a simple question."

"It is _not _simple, Eos! You want me to imagine myself in a position that I will never be in! There will never be a child! If you are testing me, it is the wrong way to do it! Our love will never be tested with a baby. I bear too many wounds to have children." Frodo was starting to get frustrated. Was this what Eos came to talk to him about? A child that would never come?

"With your evasion of my question, are you suggesting that you would not react well to the possibility of a baby of our own?"

"Eos, can we stop talking about 'what if'? Do you – can't you just believe that I love you and leave out any doubts?"

"Just give me a straight answer and stop thinking in circles, please. What would you do if I was carrying your baby?"

"Well, _are _you with child right now? My child?" Frodo asked in retaliation, his voice tinged with annoyance.

He hadn't expected his returning question to strike a nerve. But clearly it had, for Eos flinched, wide-eyed. She inhaled sharply, and let out an almost hissing whisper, "_Yes._"

Frodo froze. The reply seemed to have wiped out his ability to think. Well, he was thinking one thing: _No, no, no…_

Eos's voice had become faint. "I just… I just wanted to know enough… before I told you…"

They were both saved further uneasiness by Sam, coming in from a day of planting trees. He strode right into the room rather loudly, and paused when he saw the pair of them.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?" he asked concernedly.

"No, Sam, don't worry," Eos said, rising abruptly. "I was just about to leave anyway." She was aware of how affected she sounded. "I apologize for my manners, but I am in a rush. Good day to both of you!"

She fled the hole, grabbing her cloak on the way out. Behind her, there were the sounds of Frodo's vain attempt to pursue her, calling to her, "_Eos! Eos!_"

She ran until she was out of sight of the Cottons' home. She collapsed on the sidewalk and put her head in her hands. "Iluvatar help me," she wept.

A/N: The references to abortion in this story are not meant to express political views of any sort. They are purely there for the sake of the story, I promise you.


	16. The Test

Chapter 16: The Test

Frodo leaned on the fence on the roadside, breathless. Eos was already out of eyeshot. He was of a mind to run after her, but he knew he would not last long without a cloak.

Then it came crashing down on him. _Eos was pregnant._ He could not believe it. Was what she had told him the actual truth?

He had never thought that he would have a child of his own flesh. It was impossible! How could it be? Yet there Eos had been, telling him with stricken eyes that she was carrying his child.

"Frodo! Frodo!" Sam rushed out of the door after him. He turned Frodo to him. "What's the matter, Mr. Frodo? What's the matter with Eos?"

"Oh, Sam," Frodo whispered, his head shaking. His vision blurred with pending tears.

Sam put his arms about him. "Tell me," he begged.

"Eos just told me she was pregnant with my child," said Frodo tonelessly.

"Oh…" Sam breathed. There was a pause. "Come back up to the hole, Mr. Frodo. It's cold."

Sam supported Frodo's seemingly limp body back to the Cottons'. He sat him down at the kitchen table and pulled up a chair next to him. Frodo put a hand over his eyes.

"I can't believe it," he said. "I don't know what to think. I am not sure whether she is lying about my being the father of her child, or if she is lying about being pregnant at all… I – "

"Who's lying?" Rosie's voice came from the door. "Frodo, where's Eos?" she asked, entering the kitchen.

"She left," said Frodo bluntly, not looking at her.

"But… so soon?" Rosie asked. She looked from Frodo to Sam and back. "Did you have a row?"

Frodo opened his mouth to speak, but the words would not come. Sam spoke for him.

"Eos just told him she was pregnant," he said.

"Oh!" Rosie gasped. "Poor Eos! But is the baby yours, Frodo?"

"She said the child was mine, but I can't be too sure," said Frodo, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Well, I think if she says so, it is indeed your child," Rosie declared.

"What makes you say that?" asked Frodo, surprised by her sureness.

"It isn't like Eos to lie about these things without thinking about the consequences. Whether a man is the father of a baby is truly shown in the child's semblance. If Eos had wished to lie about such a thing, she probably would have thought about such an instance. If it was obvious she had lied about the fatherhood of her child, there would be serious consequences. And Eos Took does not lie without thinking of the consequences." Frodo was looking at her now, shocked. "Believe me; I've known her since she was Crystal's age. The child is yours, Frodo," she finished.

Frodo was silent. No wonder Eos had looked strange when he talked to her last February. This explainedit all.

"And yet," continued Rosie, furrowing her eyebrows, "why did she leave so early, Frodo?"

He took a deep gulp of air. "Well, when we were sitting together in the living room, I noticed she was strangely silent and tense. I tried to make her pay attention to me, but she kept averting her eyes from me. Finally, she asked me what I'd do if I knew she was carrying my baby. I thought it was a ridiculous thing to ask, since I thought my cares on my journeys had taken away my ability to have children. I clearly was wrong, of course. But at the time, I didn't think she was being serious with me. So, out of frustration I asked her plainly if she was carrying my child. She told me 'yes'…" Frodo trailed off for a moment. "She said that she wanted to 'know enough' before telling me…"

"And…?" Rosie pushed him.

"Then you came in, Sam, and she just ran away from me," ended Frodo. "Why would she do that?" he asked, turning to Rosie.

"Do you think she was afraid of what you would say to the news?" asked Rosie in return.

Frodo's eyes were full of pain. "Perhaps." Then he remembered his conversation with Eos in February. "I remember talking with her about children last month… perhaps that conversation made her think I wouldn't like to have a child."

"But do you want a child?"

"Of course I do! It's just that the timing is all wrong! I wanted for my relationship with Eos to wait a bit, until after her divorce was final. A baby makes the situation all the more complex."

"Frodo," said Sam, "you didn't want to wait last January."

Frodo wanted to protest, but didn't like the idea of making more excuses for himself. "True," he said. "Neither of us wanted to. We lost control of ourselves. It was only afterward that we decided to consider the consequences. Little did we know that it was too late, and that we were already paying the price."

The three of them were silent. Sam, who could not stand the tension, asked, "What are you going to do, Frodo?"

"I don't know," said Frodo almost sharply. "I have enough to think about for the moment. I believe finding out that a woman is two months pregnant with my child is quite a handful, don't you?"

He got up and stomped to his room. He paused when he saw Crystal sitting on his bed, waiting for him. Seeing his agitation, she looked down at her feet.

"Crystal, what do you need?" Frodo asked, trying desperately to make his voice refrain from harshness.

The tiny girl shook her head. "Nothing," she muttered. She'd sensed his unease, and was afraid to upset him further.

"Nothing?" Frodo knelt beside her. "Are you sure?"

"Are you angry at me?" she asked, in the timid inquiring voice that never failed to make Frodo's heart throb with love.

"At you? No, no, baby, not at you." He took little Crystal into his lap and stroked and kissed her hair. "Frodo's angry at himself," he said. "He made your Ma have a hard time without knowing it. Are you sure you don't need something?"

She shook her head vehemently. _How dear she is,_ he thought. He let her slip off of his lap and trot to the living room with her toys.

Frodo collapsed on the bed, shutting his eyes. He could not rid his head of Eos's face, her expression when she told him the fateful truth, the tears that sprang to her eyes as she fled from him.

_Are you with child? My child?_

_Yes._

_Are you with child? My child?_

_Yes._

It played over and over in his head, taunting him like a poltergeist.

That _one _chance they had to restrain themselves and remain chaste. Frodo clenched his fists. All this complexity could have been prevented with _one_ assertion of the will. Just _one._

_I can't blame it all on Eos_, Frodo thought. _I could have restrained the two of us. If only I could take it all back. Oh, Eos, I'm so sorry._

He sat up straight. He got up and rummaged in a chest of his belongings until he found a thin sheet of parchment and a quill pen. He sat at the all slightly crooked table by his bed and began to write. He began, "Dear Eos…"

A few hours later, a letter lay sealed on the table, waiting to be delivered.

_They had whips, all of them. They were waving on the hairy legs that were slowly picking him up. No matter how much he struggled, the spider would not relent. Drool – or maybe venom – dripped from its fangs. _

_It was going to devour him. He knew it. This time it would succeed in making itself a proper meal of hobbit flesh. Its fangs came closer, and closer, clicking together in a malicious manner. Closer, closer…then a white-hot pain in his neck…_

"Frodo? Frodo?" Frodo woke with a start. He had gone to sleep in his clothes. Little Crystal was tugging on his shirt sleeve.

"Frodo, Rosie said to come get you," she chirped squeakily. "She says you're late getting up."

He looked around the room distractedly until his eyes landed on his letter on the table. He got up, stumbling a little. Crystal looked at him, confused about his unusual carelessness.

Frodo felt cold, so incredibly cold. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Crystal backing away from him. He tried to open his mouth and reassure her, but his throat seemed blocked. The room was falling away. A black hand seemed to close over his face, pushing his whole body backward. The last thing Frodo felt was a sharp pain, like a knife at its sharpest, digging deep into his neck.

And everything went dark.


	17. Don't Fall To Pieces

Chapter 17: Don't Fall To Pieces

Eos sat on the window seat in the alcove in her bedroom. The window overlooked the back garden, which had been dormant during the winter, save for a few snowdrops. She however, looked over the garden with a blank gaze.

She clutched a mug of tea between two trembling hands. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. Berylla had coaxed her into getting a decent night of sleep, but there were still dark circles under her eyes. Her long dark hair hung loose around her shoulders.

She could not think. She'd tried reading but could not focus. The day before still bore a weight on her heart. Her mind revolved in circles, her train of thought always bumping into the same obstacle, like a dog chasing its own tail.

_He lay in oblivion. All around him were fuzzy hallucinations of shadows and figures. The people in this half-dream were unidentifiable. Except one._

_A black specter closed its hand over her body. Her eyes were closed and her dark hair dangled loose. They were carrying her away. Away from him. _

_He tried to reach out and grab her back but his arms seemed to be made of leaden rods. He had no choice but to watch as they carried her away. It was worse knowing that it was his entire fault. He was the reason they were taking her away. _

_His dry throat could only croak out one word: "_Eos, Eos_…"_

Celandine, coming on one of her weekly visits, found her sister in that same vegetative state on the window seat. She sat across from her, and they sat in silence.

Eos, sensing her gaze, broke the silence. "Berylla told you?" she asked hoarsely.

Her sister nodded solemnly. "She told me that you went up to the Cottons' to tell him the… the news."

Eos let out a harsh laugh, breaking the frozen mask on her face for the first time in hours. "And _that _went well," she said sarcastically.

"Why did you run from him?"

"What?"

"Why did you run from him, even though you hadn't heard his response to your news?"

The younger woman gazed blankly out the window. "I suppose – I was afraid of what he would say. I'm not sure. I might have just lost my senses. But, sister, Frodo or no Frodo, I'll – we'll –", she put a hand over her belly, acknowledging the life inside her for the first time, "We'll make it through."

Celandine reached over and took her hand. "Bear and I, we'll always be there for you. Don't forget that."

They sat hand in hand, contented for the moment. Celandine temporarily diverted Eos's thoughts with news she had heard in town and ceramics she'd bought. She was describing a mug to her when someone banged loudly on the front door.

"Who could that be?" Celandine wondered in alarm. "Could it be…?" She looked at Eos. Eos stared back.

"No," said Eos, listening hard. "It's Rosie!"

Berylla's head appeared in the doorway, her eyes slightly nervous. "Eos? Are you free? Rosie wants to see you, _badly_."

Celandine and Eos stared at each other, now thoroughly puzzled.

"Come _on_, Eos!" urged Berylla. "Your friend looks like she'll lose her patience if she waits any longer! She's jittery as a cat!"

"Rosie? Jittery doesn't sound like her," said Eos, getting to her feet.

"Maybe she's heard about your… trouble," suggested Celandine.

"Perhaps, but... jittery? Upon hearing about your friend's pregnancy?"

As soon as Eos was out of the room, Berylla practically pushed her down the hall and into the parlor. Before closing the door behind her, she gave her younger sister an almost apologetic look. And then Eos was alone with her friend.

Rosie Cotton was not composed as she usually was. She was not sitting down. She was standing and looked ready to go out and about. Eos saw a bead of sweat run down the side of her face. She was twisting the front of her dress into a mess of wrinkles. As soon as Eos was alone, she ran to her.

"Oh, Eos!" she cried, grabbing her hands. She was breathless. "Oh dear, I hardly know where to begin!" Eos thought she was on the verge of tears.

"Rosie, sit down first, please," she said. Her friend looked reluctant, but complied.

"There, now, what's going on?"

Rosie put her face in her hands. "Oh, Eos, you must come at once." She paused, trying to put her words in order.

"Come… where?"

"Up to our place. For Frodo."

"Frodo?" Eos stiffened upon hearing his name. "What for?"

Rosie really looked like she was going to cry now. "Frodo is ill."

"Ill?" Eos felt a tug of panic at her heart.

"Oh yes, and with the most awful symptoms. My father and little Crystal found him lying curled up on the bed, muttering about something being dark and empty. We all tucked him in and found he had a ghastly fever. Then he started hallucinating and muttering to heaven-knows-what. It frightened the poor little girl so!"

Eos frowned. Dark and empty… she remembered little snippets of what Frodo had told her about the Quest. Darkness…

"What did Sam say about this?" she asked.

"That was the worst! He wasn't even there! He left early this morning to plant trees! He won't be back for a few days."

Eos sat back. Damn. Sam could have done some explaining. And yet, why would she be needed? Rosie answered her question at that moment.

"Also, why I came here… is that Frodo has been calling for you."

"What?"

"He has. A few hours or so after we found him he started whispering your name. Then he became more and more malcontent, and started saying it louder and louder, like he was tormented." Here, Rosie reached over and grasped her friend's hand. "I knew you wouldn't be comfortable going over there again, after yesterday… but we couldn't pacify him, so I came for you."

She tightened her hold on her hand. "He loves you, Eos. He needs you desperately."

Eos was still skeptical. "How do you know that this is not just a result of this illness? What if he's just jabbering to hallucinations?"

"Oh, I know. I talked to him last night, when he told Sam and me about the news," Rosie replied. "He said that he was just frustrated about the bad timing, that's all. And there's more."

She drew a sealed letter from her pocket. "I found this on the table in his room. It's for you." She handed it over to Eos. "I couldn't resist opening the sides and having a glimpse at a line or two," she grinned apologetically. "But… just read it."

Eos took the letter and broke the seal. Slowly, she opened it and read the elegantly sloping hand:

_Dear Eos,_

_I knew you would not be comfortable speaking with me in person after taking off yesterday. Therefore, I am doing the best I can to communicate myself in words._

_I do not deny my initial shock when you broke the news to me. I suspect that because of this you fled from me when Sam appeared. I admit, I was too slow to respond to you, and may have caused you to suspect that I would not take the news well. Furthermore, I was convinced I would never father a child, and perhaps that fact made you fear informing me about the contrary._

_However, I still wish you hadn't left so soon, and given me time to compose myself. You must know that I have no qualms about our new coming child, but for the current circumstances of your marriage. We do hear stories in town of men who have abandoned girls who carry their illegitimate children, and perhaps you thought your pregnancy, likewise, would cause me to love you less. Darling, did you really think of me this way? Why would I abandon you over such a matter, after I have loved you and wanted you for years on end? How could you even think that I was so cruel?_

_I do not expect you to believe everything I have said, for I know it takes more than words to prove one self. Simply know that I still love you and will gladly accept any child, as long as it is yours._

_Loving you always, _

_Frodo Baggins_

Rosie watched Eos as she read the letter. No significant change came over her face, save for her eyes, which softened a little. Rosie waited with apprehension.

Eos finished reading, and looked up at her. She closed the letter and stood up. She said, "Wait at the front door. I shan't be long." And she disappeared through the doorway.

Her friend stifled a yelp of happiness, and rushed to the front of the hole. After a few minutes, Eos came with a bag whose contents rustled as she walked. She put on her blue cloak, and taking Rosie's hand, left the hole.

There was unusual tension in the Cottons' house. Nibs was sitting in a chair in a kitchen, biting his nails nervously. Farmer Cotton stood watch at Frodo's door. He was holding Crystal, who was sobbing loudly. He rushed up to Eos when she arrived.

"Miss Took! Thank goodness you've arrived!" He handed the tiny girl to Eos.

"She's been crying all morning, the poor thing," he said, as the girl buried her face in her mother's shoulder and wailed into it. "Mr. Baggins bein' sick an' all, I s'pose it scared her stiff."

Eos rocked her daughter and shushed her gently. "It's alright, Crystal, Mama's here. Don't cry."

"F-Frodo's s-sick!" Crystal wailed. "I'm s-scared!"

"Scared? Baby, don't be scared!" Eos crooned softly.

"I - hic! - I - hic!" Crystal hiccoughed between sobs, as one does as a result of crying too much. "I - hic! - don't - hic! - want Fro - hic! - Frodo to be - hic! - sick!"

"Maybe," Eos whispered, in an attempt to mollify her, "he won't be sick if you stop crying so much."

At this, Crystal stopped, still hiccoughing a little. Rubbing her back a little, her mother gave her to Rosie, and headed to Frodo's room. At the sight of him, tears sprang to her eyes.

He lay hapless on the bed, covered in sweat. His nightshirt was soaked through. His beautiful head swayed from side to side on the pillow, the lids half shut and his lips dry. They were moving, croaking words which Eos could not decipher.

She sat on the bed beside him. His complexion was a ghostly white. She choked back a sob, for he hardly looked like himself at all, so withdrawn from reality. She took one of his cold hands and held it to her breast. It twitched feebly in her hands. Eos kissed his fingers, one by one.

At this, Frodo's mutterings became louder and louder, and his head twitched more violently. Suddenly, Eos realized he had been calling her name the whole time.

"Eos…Eos…"

She leaned over him, and answered his call. "Frodo."

He paused. Eyes still half-closed, he turned his head towards her, searching for the source of her voice.

Eos placed a hand on his hot forehead, stroking his damp curls back from his face. She called him again, kissing his cheek. "Frodo."

He opened his eyes this time. As the room slid into focus, he saw her face. As his eyes widened in wonder, he became himself again. He lay there for a moment, drinking in the sight of her. He let her name slip through his lips as he drew breath. "Eos…" Trembling, he reached up with his free hand to touch her, but his fingers faltered inches away. "I am dreaming," he whispered hoarsely.

Eos grasped his hand and kissed the palm. "You're not," she replied. "This is real. It's me. I'm here."

Frodo's dry and cracked lips broke into a smile. "Eos," he whispered with increasing joy. "I didn't think you would come."

Eos picked his head up and cradled him in her arms. To further convince him that she was not a vision, she bent and kissed him deeply. She felt a small groan emit from his throat. She kissed him again, brushing her lips against his. Slowly, he followed the movements of her mouth with his own.

They ended their kiss together, and Frodo rested his head in Eos's arms, his gaze never leaving her face. "Don't leave me," he said.

"I won't," she replied.

She searched the room for a glass of water, and found one on the table. "Your mouth is dry," she remarked, tipping the glass toward his lips. "Drink it," she told him, upon which he gulped down the water obediently.

"I love you, Eos," he said as he lay back.

"I know," said Eos.

"Eos, I do want the baby. I _want_ a child that's ours."

"I know that, I read your letter. Rosie gave it to me."

Frodo sighed contentedly. He snuggled closer to Eos. "Tell me you love me," he murmured sleepily.

"I love you, Frodo. Sleep a little now." She kissed his eyelids one by one, and he fell asleep as told.

She rocked him in her arms until she was sure he was sleeping. She lay him down on the pillows and tucked the covers over him. He still had some traces of fever, for sure, but better than he was earlier.

Frodo had his vulnerabilities, too, Eos realized. They both had histories which they both wanted to forget. They would have to rely on each other to overcome the past and make it through. Neither of them could afford to completely fall to pieces.

Eos watched him sleep. Oh, how she loved him to death. It was a relief to find out that he wanted the baby after all. He was going to be a father! He was going to have a child of his own flesh and blood.

She glanced at the clock. It was two o'clock in the afternoon. She'd be able to stay for a while!

_I looked away_

_Then I looked back at you_

_You tried to say_

_Things that you can't undo_

_If I had my way_

_I'd never get over you_

_Today's the day_

_I pray that we make it through_

_Make it through the fall_

_Make it through it all._

_(Chorus)_

_I don't want to fall to pieces_

_I just want to sit and stare at you_

_I don't want to talk about it_

_I don't want a conversation_

_I just want to cry in front of you_

_I don't want to talk about it _

'_Cause I'm in love with you._

_You're the only one_

_I'd be with 'till the end_

_When I come undone_

_You bring me back again_

_Back under the stars_

_Back into your arms._

_(Chorus)_

_Want to know who you are_

_Want to know where to start_

_I want to know what this means_

_Want to know how you feel_

_Want to know what is real_

_I want to know everything, everything._

_(Chorus 2x)_

_I'm in love with you_

'_Cause I'm in love with you_

_I'm in love with you_

_I'm in love with you._

-- "Fall To Pieces", Avril Lavigne, from her album "Under My Skin"


	18. I've Been Waiting A Long Time

Chapter 18: I've Been Waiting A Long Time

Frodo slept for about half an hour, before waking in Eos's arms again. It seemed that everyone regarded her as they would the highest of angels, since she had seemingly brought Frodo around with her presence. The Cottons, in their gratefulness to Eos, did everything she told them to do, including hauling a large tub of hot bathwater into the room. In it, she washed the sweat and grease from Frodo's body. The clasps in her hair were slipping out, but she let her hair come loose and hang about her shoulders.

He was so heartbreakingly thin. When they had made love, Eos had noticed Frodo's prominent ribs, but now they seemed to stand out even more.

Frodo leaned back into Eos's hands as she scrubbed his shoulders, back and hair. This dependence and complete trust he had in her moved Eos. She knelt down to bring her soapy cloth across his arms. He closed his eyes as she picked up his right hand, his maimed one, wiped it gently with the cloth and kissed the stub where his third finger should have been. She set his hand down and lifted his curls to caress Shelob's wound and kiss it as well. She knew these wounds were not nearly healed as yet. He sighed under her mouth, and she drew away and commanded him to stand up and step out of the tub. Like everyone else, he obeyed her.

Eos grabbed a towel and dried his shivering body with it. She was about to reach for his nightshirt when he grasped her shoulders, and let the towel slip from his own. He clasped her to him in his arms, not minding that he was naked against her clothed body. His wiry arms held her with surprising strength, considering that he had seemed so breakable not too long ago. Eos's lips submitted to Frodo's desperate mouth. She felt him hardening against her skirts, pressing toward the place between her legs that was protected by layers of cloth. He put his hands on her covered buttocks and ground them against his hips, squeezing them. His desire was infectious, and she grasped his upper arms, gritting her teeth from the heat between her legs. But she drew away, knowing that Frodo was not yet strong enough for a satisfying period of lovemaking.

"Frodo," she whispered, nuzzling his neck, "Don't press your body against my clothes! They're dirty, from me kneeling on the floor."

"That's just an excuse," Frodo groaned, but letting go of her.

"Also, I don't want you to catch cold," she continued, waving her hand at his body, which was still bare. She helped him slip his nightshirt over his head, and supported him on his way back to bed. She arranged the pillows so that he could sit back against them, and sat beside him, holding his wounded hand.

"_Melan lye_," he murmured softly to her, gazing at her lovingly.

Eos smiled, remembering the snatches of elvish she had learned from her younger days, when she and Frodo had still been friends and had no passion of any sort to deny. "_Nólan_," she replied in a mockingly exasperated tone. "I know." She held his hand against her breast. "_Ar melan lye._"

"I shall never tire of telling you that," he said.

"Nor I you," she replied. He reached for her, and she let him embrace her. "_Vanimelda_ – fair love," he whispered. "My _silme_, my starlight, my angel…" He kissed the tip of her ear with each affectionate name. "_Tindomerel _– nightingale."

Eos rested her head against his shoulder and lost herself in his words of love until she heard his sharp intake of breath. She sat up and looked at him in panic.

"It's nothing," he gasped. "Just this pain in my neck…"

"Were you ill from that wound? The spider bite?"

Frodo looked back at her, panicky as well. "Today is the thirteenth of March, is it not? It is? Then yes, it's that wound."

He put a cool hand on Eos's cheek. "I ought to tell you everything now, Eos, so that you'll be ready when it catches up with me again. You've waited a long time for this, have you not?"

Eos nodded. "Yes, I have."

Frodo closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "It shouldn't be so difficult," he said. "I just hate remembering."

Eos tucked her feet under her on the bed and slipped her arms around his waist. She spoke into his shoulder, "Tell me, Frodo, please."

He buried his face and hands in her abundant hair and began to recount the tale.

"Remember eighteen years ago, when I came of age and you were twenty-five, when my uncle Bilbo disappeared at his birthday party…?"

And all the while, she held him.

When he was finished, they both sat in silence, with their arms around each other. Eos knew he did not want to talk anymore. She felt wetness on her ears, and she knew Frodo was crying. His sobs heaved in his chest, and she held him tighter. Finally, he managed a choked "Thank you."

She sat back and took his face in her hands and kissed the tears away, tasting the salt in them. "Thank you," she replied softly. "Thank you for telling me."

Eos continued to visit Frodo. He was still weak and clumsy as a newborn kitten, but he appeared to be recovering. A few days after his collapse, he was sitting up in bed when Eos came in.

"Frodo, you're awake! You seem to be pulling through."

"Thanks to you, my love," he said, clasping her hand.

Her friend appeared, coming from the kitchen. "How is he?" she asked excitedly. Do you want me to get you two some food? I know neither of you have eaten much."

Eos went to the door to meet her. "Why, Rosie Cotton, you've read my mind! Yes, food would be splendid. I'm sorry I've been ordering you around."

"Not at all! We've been attending to your daughter, mostly. We just put her to bed an hour ago."

Eos sighed regretfully. "I'd go to her now, but I promised Frodo that I'd stay with him."

"Stay with Frodo. We'll take care of Crystal."

"I'm a terrible mother, Rosie. I fear that I will love Frodo's baby more than I love her, and she will hate me for it."

"You have a while to compensate before the baby is born, Eos. But don't worry about that now! Go to Frodo, he needs you. I'll be back with food."

Eos stepped back into the room. Frodo had laid his head back against the pillows and closed his eyes. He opened them again and sat up when Eos sat on the bed beside him.

"I heard what you said about Crystal," he said. Eos looked down and folded her hands in her lap.

"That will not happen," he continued. "I know it. I know she will feel she is unloved," he went on at Eos's silence. "She is a child of an unhappy marriage, and her blood father is a criminal. Many will look on her with disfavor. But she will never hate you. As for favoring my child over her…" Eos winced. "Let's wait until the baby is born, like Rosie said."

Eos looked away, tears collecting in her eyes, but not before Frodo caught sight of them.

"Come here," he murmured softly.

Eos edged into his arms uneasily. "I've heard that worrying is not good for pregnant women or their babies," whispered Frodo, stroking her hair. "And I certainly don't want anything to happen to my love or my baby. My baby," he repeated, savoring the words, running them over his tongue like syrup.

Eos smiled. "Yes, your baby," she echoed.

Frodo lay back again, and Eos leaned back beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. He laced his fingers through hers.

"I can hardly believe I was so desolate not too long ago," he said. "I am so happy, Eos. All because you are with me." He turned to face her. "It is remarkable… your voice and your touch are enough to revive me. I was thinking… maybe you're not really an ordinary hobbit at all. Perhaps you're a fairy from the woods come to me in the form of a hobbit. You're beautiful enough to be one, you know."

"Shut up, you old ass!" Eos giggled. "You sound like a little boy!"

"But maybe it's possible," said Frodo.

"Possible, but highly unlikely." Eos leaned over him and kissed him playfully. "I think a whole childhood of reading stories and lore has put fantasies in your head for life."

"And it has also kept me from being a foolish blockhead, you must admit that."

"That has an element of truth," she agreed. She touched her nose to his and gave him a dizzyingly sensuous kiss. Frodo felt such a shocking jolt of desire in his loins that he jerked away, gasping.

"You'll be the downfall of me, Eos, I swear," he panted, glowering mockingly at her hysterical giggles.

Shortly after they both recuperated, Rosie came in and left them a tray of food. Frodo ate ravenously. Looking at him, Eos said, "I _knew_ you were hungry!"

When they had both cleared their plates of food, they returned their former position on the bed, lying beside one another and holding hands.

"Frodo?"

"Hm?"

"When did you start loving me?"

"Oh, I don't know, I can't name any time or place specifically. Probably it was around the time I started dancing with you. I just didn't realize it then. I just know that around the time you got married, I woke up one day and realized I had loved you the whole time. I felt like a complete idiot then. I could have had you, and I let you slip through my fingers. What did you feel for me? Before I went ahead and told you, I mean."

"I suppose I played with the idea of being married to you for a little, but then I decided to put it away. I thought it was just one of those girlish infatuations all my friends had. I trusted my parents very much, you know. I trusted that everything they did was right. Not that I've changed my mind about them, but I've learned that they are not infallible. But never mind, we're together, and we're about to have a baby of our very own." She paused for a moment, frowning. "Of course, there is the question of my divorce, which isn't even final yet."

"Well, that reminds me of something." Frodo sat up slowly, minding the wound in his neck. He stopped for a moment.

"What is it?" Eos asked curiously.

"I need to tell you a story."

"A story? Meaning no offense, but I don't feel like it right now."

"No, you have to hear this. I would have told you yesterday if not for my sedated state, and I wanted you to know first. Today, I was lying here in bed, when Pip came rushing in, panting like anything and disturbing my sleep. I asked him what he was so panicky about, but instead of telling me he collapsed in a chair and asked Rosie for a brandy."

"Is this short?" Eos pouted.

"You're lucky I love you this much, or I'd holler at you for whining. Anyway, I told Pippin that no, the Cottons didn't have any brandy, and that he'd better tell me what the excitement was about. He paused and looked at me, and then said what he was about to show me was self-explanatory. At that, he produced a rather large stack of papers, and said that he'd run a long distance to give these papers to me, and that he was too out of breathe to tell about them himself."

"Hmm, would those happen to be my divorce papers?" asked Eos, her face brightening a little.

"No."

Eos's face fell slightly.

"I'm joking, I'm joking! They were the divorce papers! All stamped and approved by Mr. Whitfoot, the temporarily retired mayor! It's done!"

Eos stared hard at him. "You don't seem to be twisted enough to fool around with me about this."

"I'm not! It's true! The papers are approved! It was a hard decision for all those people under Whitfoot to make, since divorces are so rare. But now, all you have to do now is sign them, and you are done!"

"Frodo…" Eos whispered disbelievingly. She put a hand on his cheek. "I'm free to go."

"Yes, you are. You're free to go."

Her reaction was totally unexpected by Frodo. She began to weep softly and collapsed into Frodo's arms. "I can't believe it, Frodo. It's done."

"Easy, easy, my love," said Frodo, as Eos gripped his arms. "Yes, it's done. We've been waiting a while, and that's paid off, hasn't it?"

"Frodo… Frodo…" Eos wept. Frodo rocked her for a bit and kissed her to calm her down. She responded passionately, burying her hands in his hair and pulling him down on top of her. He pulled his legs from under his blankets so that he could lie fully on top of her. Their lips and tongues explored and caressed each other, like long lost lovers in a reunion. They both felt themselves grow hot and groped each other's bodies desperately. Eos pulled up Frodo's nightshirt, and stroked his member gently, remembering that he was still rather weak. Frodo groaned and hastily unclasped her bodice and her shirt. While Eos was preoccupied with his desire, he suckled and caressed her breasts, as he had longed to do for eternity. Seeing and tasting the hot white skin, he felt as a beggar coming upon a feast. He pulled up her skirts, pulled off her under drawers and stroked her velvet folds, which grew wetter and wetter by the second.

"Oh, my Eos," he moaned, as he pushed inside her for the second time.

Acknowledging the weakness that still remained in Frodo's body, they took on a slow, gentle rhythm. For a while, the only sounds in the room were the rhythmic squeaking of the bed and soft moans here and there. Their lovemaking this time round had none of the wildness and spontaneity of last time, but it was passionate nonetheless. Both felt they had never been so gratified in their lives.

Eventually, Frodo's frail body overtook him, and he took one last long thrust into Eos's body, spilling the last of his liquid into her. He lay on top of her for a bit, both of them half-naked and spent. And then he rolled off and pulled her to him to lie in his arms. Eos crawled on top of him and they kissed and murmured their love to each other until Frodo became too drowsy to speak.

Eos sat up and pulled her under drawers on. She buttoned up her open blouse and bodice and tugged her skirt, which was bunched up around her waist, into its proper place over her legs. She stood up and pulled Frodo's nightshirt over his legs and tucked the blankets over him.

"I'll do better next time," he said, a bit regretfully.

"Well, I thought you were wonderful. I enjoyed it," she assured him, sitting by him for the last time.

He reached out a hand to stroke her belly, smiling with the knowledge that his baby was hiding inside. He settled against the pillows, his lids heavy with tiredness.

"I have to go now," Eos whispered, kissing his ear and stroking his hair.

"Don't be too long," Frodo murmured sleepily, his heavy lids half-shut.

"I won't. I'll be back," she replied.

_I've been waiting a long time_

_For this moment to come_

_I'm destined_

_For anything…at all._

_Downtown lights will be shining_

_On me like a new diamond ring_

_Out under the midnight hour._

_No one can touch me now_

_And I can't turn my back_

_It's too late _

_Ready or not at all._

_I'm so much closer than_

_I have ever known…_

_Wake up._

_Dawning of a new era_

_Calling…don't let it catch you falling_

_Ready or not at all._

_So close enough to taste it_

_Almost…I can embrace this feeling…_

_On the tip of my tongue_

_I'm so much closer than _

_I have ever known…_

_Wake up_

_Better thank your lucky stars…_

_I've been waiting a lifetime_

_For this moment to come_

_I'm destined for anything at all._

_Dumbstruck_

_Colour me stupid_

_Good luck_

_You're gonna need it_

_Where I'm going if I get there…_

_At all…_

_Wake up_

_Better thank your lucky stars._

– "Waiting", Green Day, from their album _Warning_


	19. Two In A Day

Chapter 19: Two In A Day

The news that Eos Took had divorced her husband traveled wildfire-quick. Even more baffling for everyone was the fact that Frodo was seemingly courting her. But, as Eos and Frodo liked to joke with each other, no one knew the best part of the whole thing.

Certainly, they heard snatches of what people in town said about them.

"Right after getting her out of another marriage, he tries to get her into another one?"

"I sense adultery… I know it when I see it…"

"Oh, but it's damn good for Miss Eos to get out of a marriage with a man like that…"

"A Took and a Baggins… how cracked will a brat of theirs be, I wonder?"

Eos and Frodo were tempted to laugh when they saw how they were regarded in public. People looked at them with the most bizarre expression, a cross between a false smile and a curious gaze.

Sam had been disgruntled when he returned from his trip and discovered that Frodo had been ill.

"Why didn't anybody send for me? I could have done something!"

Rosie tried to sooth him. "It's alright now, Sam. Eos was wonderful with him. She was only at his bedside for a few minutes and he stopped tossing and turning." She bent and kissed Sam's nose. "Trust me. You had your trees, and the Shire needed them. It was all for the better anyway. Frodo and Eos made up over the baby, and he's happy. And he took the opportunity to tell her that the divorce was final. Also…I won't assume anything, but when Eos came out of Frodo's room, her cheeks were flushed. Do you think they…?" She trailed off suggestively.

Sam shrugged, his thumb tracing the rim of his mug. "Perhaps. Maybe it is all for the better. Did either of them talk to you about getting married?"

"No. But I suppose they didn't want it to seem too rushed, since Eos has just divorced her husband. By the way, have you thought about restoring Bag End yet?"

"Why, Rosie-lass, we've already started, about a month ago! Didn't I tell you?"

"No, of course not! You've spent so much time away that you haven't seized any opportunity to tell me anything!"

Sam took her in his arms and kissed her. "I'm sorry, Rose. I still love you." He paused. "Hmm… Rosie-lass, you know what I'm thinking?"

"What?"

"I think the beginning of May would be the right time for us to get married."

Rosie kissed him back. "I adore you, Sam Gamgee."

Eos scrubbed the dishes from second breakfast. Her belly was growing rounder with child, but not enough for many to notice. Neither she nor Frodo had told her daughter of the new coming baby, for she was still young and had a loose tongue.

She chuckled as she recalled the events of the night before. Frodo had come in the evening unexpectedly, at her usual bedtime. Her bedroom door had been wide open, and as she'd slipped on her gown she heard a sigh behind her. To her shock and delight, standing in the doorway was Frodo, come to see her after he'd tucked Crystal in.

She'd pulled him inside and closed the door behind him, calling him a Peeping Tom. He'd only laughed at this, then grabbed her and kissed her furiously. "How's the baby?" he'd whispered.

"He – or she – is sleeping right now," she'd answered. "Do you really want to wake the child up right now?"

"Are you sure he's asleep? I think I feel him kicking."

"How do you know it's a he? Mayhap it's a girl."

"Love, I know it's a boy. I just know it."

This was something Eos had noticed that was different about Frodo. He seemed to know everything that was about to happen. He'd said that Sam would go out and make the whole of the Shire flower again, and he'd been right. He'd simply touched her womb and known it was a boy. But then, there was yet to find out.

Frodo had pushed Eos onto the bed and started to kiss her throat and collarbone relentlessly. Her hands pulled his weskit and his bracers down. She would not let him undress her, not yet. Frodo fastened his teeth around a nipple through the cotton, and she tried her best to concentrate on her task. She opened his breeches and drawers and drew them down. Her hand brushed his desire, and his moan went poorly restrained.

His hands went under her gown, and she groaned as she pulled off his shirt. She kissed and nipped at his chest and nipples, and straddled him, pinning his arms to his sides. He lay naked before her, panting and at her mercy. She deliberately drew out the act of pulling her gown off, which made him squirm with desire. She climbed off his body, and he immediately reached for her.

"Not yet," she'd said. "I'm not finished with you, Mr. Baggins. I'm getting back at you for creeping up to my room without my knowing." She took hold of his already erect length and stroked it from one end to the other and back, over and over. Oh, how the smooth coolness of her hands made him want her!

"Eos…" he almost whined, like a child for his mother. But she was merciless. She bent down and kissed him from his belly to his curls. Then she kissed along his length, enjoying the sight of his suffering. She took him in her mouth and sucked on him until he had cried out, "Eos, you're killing me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry dear, I didn't know I was," she'd replied, smirking. He glared back, but gave in to her sweet smile.

"I love you," he said, in hopes of mollifying her.

"I love you too," she said, and she reared and impaled herself on him. He gasped at the suddenness of this, but soon responded to her downward movements with small upward thrusts. How good he felt inside of her, she'd thought. And she'd never before tried it on top of him, and this was worth the experimentation.

The two moved together, sprinting towards the brink and falling right over. Eos cried out with pleasure and just barely heard Frodo's ecstatic scream. Somehow she had lain across Frodo's body and wrapped her arms around him as she pushed herself onto him. They had lain there, spent for a while, and then their desires overtook them and they made love all over again. It was another two hours before Eos practically forced Frodo to return to the Cottons', delirious with lovemaking and his lips swollen from the passionate kisses.

Eos shook her head. She and Frodo had _planned_ to remain chaste, but they'd been breaking the rules a lot lately. No matter how much she told herself that chastity was easier said than done, she knew that she and her lover ought to have more self control.

Frodo had told her he would come over today with Crystal, and this time she really hoped to follow the rules they'd set for themselves for once.

Frodo had borrowed a cart from the Cottons' stables and took it to Berylla's hole instead of walking there. Crystal sat on his lap, quiet with wonder of actually riding in the front of a cart.

He was still filled with guilt for his lack of self control with Eos. He shouldn't have made love with her last time! It was true that Eos was already pregnant, but shouldn't they act like a conventional couple for the time being?

He pulled up in front of the hole and took a deep breath. "Come on, Crystal. Time to see Mother."

The little girl skipped ahead of him, carefully avoiding the cracks in the cobblestones. It was something she'd learned from her friends, that you'd break your back if you stepped on the crack.

"Don't step on the crack, or you'll fall and break your back," she chanted in her high pitched voice. "Don't step on the crack or you'll fall and break your back. Don't step on the crack, or…"

Frodo shook his head. Even he hadn't been that superstitious when he was little.

Eos opened the door at the first ring of the bell and blushed when she saw Frodo. However, she picked up Crystal and kissed her. Frodo chastely kissed her cheek and went in.

"Is she still reading books?" Eos asked anxiously, as they sat on the parlor couch.

"She doesn't read books, she eats them up – like a wolf," said Frodo, adding the last bit awkwardly. They both knew all this talk was just to fill up the space. They were itching to throw themselves into each other's arms and kiss until their lips were too swollen for anymore. Crystal, however, was oblivious to this tension.

"My doll Big Opal has a new dress, but she got sick so Frodo told me to leave her at home. Guess what? Viowet never wead books before! I showed her one, and she couldn't wead!"

"Yes, she brought a picture book to her friend Violet's," Frodo explained. "She was quite surprised that she was the only literate one among all the children."

"Of course. Many of those farm children learn chores before their letters," replied Eos. "But the book had pictures – did Violet like the pictures, Crystal?"

"Yeah, but she didn't know what elves are."

She slid out of Eos's lap and amused herself by playing with the tassels of the carpet. Frodo reached over and took Eos's hand. He stroked it with his thumb as they talked.

"How have you been?" Frodo asked. "How's your store?"

"Erm… fine," said Eos awkwardly. "Business in the store has been running strong, surprisingly. I guess people come just to stare at me, I suppose, or to get information about… well… _us_."

They were interrupted by a rustle at the door. There was the sound of a ball bouncing, and Berylla and her son came in.

"Oh, Mr. Baggins! How good of you to come! Has Eos given you anything to drink? You don't need anything? Are you sure? Good! Let me know if you need anything," she said in a rush, and bustled to the kitchen.

"Ham, wait!" shouted Crystal. "I wanna play ball." And she ran out after Berylla's son.

_Finally, _Frodo thought. He turned back to his lover. She was gazing at their hands, entwined like their own bodies were when they went to bed. He leaned forward and kissed her gently.

It was the gentlest kiss they had ever shared, made of only tender brushings of the lips. When it was finished, Eos leaned into Frodo's arms and sighed.

"I missed you," she murmured.

"And I you," he replied. "So did Crystal. But she has dozens of little girlfriends, unlike you and me."

"She's a happy girl. She was always a sweet child," said Eos. "You did a good job, Frodo."

"Please!" protested Frodo, but glowing inside.

They sat like that for a few minutes, until Eos stood up to throw another piece of coal into the fire. "March is neither cold nor warm. I never favored this month of the year."

"Nor I," said Frodo, remembering Shelob's stinger. "But Eos – " he stood up as well, "Eos, I really did need a talk with you."

"Hmm?" Eos turned to him.

"I've been a little worried about us lately…" Frodo trailed off.

"Worried?" Eos frowned at this.

"Yes, I've been thinking about the fact that you are pregnant and also divorced, and I've been running out of solutions for this…" Frodo frowned.

"Worried? Solutions? Those two words don't sound good together," said Eos. "Do you mean… that… we…?"

"That we can't be together? No, no, not at all!" He pulled Eos to him. "I don't mean that at all! I meant to ask you to marry me!"

Eos drew away, wide-eyed.

"I'd meant to wait a little longer, since I didn't want this to look so rushed, but I really truly want to marry you," said Frodo. "Well, what do you say?"

"Well, it is the _slightest_ bit rushed, but…" Eos looked into the flames. "If you want to marry me, Frodo, I want to know that you are not marrying me just for the sake of saving face."

Frodo's brow furrowed. Eos went on.

"The baby is due in October – seven months from now, I believe. It is true that it will be best to marry as soon as possible for the child's sake. And it is true that I am free to remarry whoever I want now that I am no longer married to Olo. But can you convince me that those are not the only reasons you made this proposal?"

Frodo took her face in his hands. "You and your suspicious mind! We're meant to be, you see? I trust too easily, and you doubt even the one who loves you best. But this you must believe. I love you, Eos. All those reasons you named are true and were part of my decision, but I've waited so long to have you! Believe me, Eos. I'm sorry if I made my proposal so hurriedly… but how does one make a perfect wedding proposal?"

"Let me think…" Eos considered. "The man has a trinket of some sort to mark the decision made with his woman. He is tender with said woman, and does not do things in a hurry!"

"Well then, what do you think?" Frodo pulled a tiny wooden box out of his pocket and opened it. Eos gasped. Inside was a silver ring with an elaborate band, and set with a beautiful blue stone. She blinked tears away from her eyes as Frodo slipped the ring onto her finger.

"I…I…" she stammered, transfixed by Frodo's hand holding her adorned one. "I can't believe it. You're too good, Frodo."

"No, Eos, it is you I was never good enough for," said Frodo, cupping her hand in both of his own. "But I promise you, when we're married, I'll do everything to make you and the children happy. But you haven't exactly answered the question yet."

"'The children.' I like the sound of that. Yes, I will marry you," answered Eos. She took Frodo's face in her hands and gently brushed her lips against his.

They held each other by the fire for a long time, Eos's head propped against Frodo's chest while he stroked it.

"I was thinking…" said Eos.

"Hm?"

"Perhaps we could act like a proper engaged couple tonight and remain chaste. We've had more than our share of… _nights_ together, and we could do with some practice, don't you think?"

"Yes, I was thinking that, too. But at least come to dinner at the Cottons'. Something tells me that Sam and Rosie may have some news for us as well."

They both slipped on light cloaks and went outside, where they found Ham and Crystal playing in the yard. They collected the little girl and headed to the Cottons'.

"Sam, Rosie, would you like to tell Mr. Baggins and Miss Took your news?" said Farmer Cotton after they all had eaten.

"Er… yes," stammered Sam, wiping his forehead with the back of his sleeve. He stood up, holding Rosie's hand. "Mr. Frodo, after you'd given me the idea recently, I proposed to Rosie, and she said yes. So, that's that… we're engaged."

The whole table gathered round to embrace the couple with congratulations and blessings. Frodo looked at Eos, whose arms were around Rosie, and she nodded to him.

"Eos and I have some news too," said Frodo, clearing his throat. "We've decided to get engaged as well."

Everyone stared for a moment, then broke down in merry laughter. "Two marriage proposals in one day! This is an eye-opener and no mistake!" exclaimed Farmer Cotton.


End file.
